Study: Ponds feed arsenic into Bangladesh water supply

BANGKOK: Ponds dug for fish-rearing and storing water for agriculture in Bangladesh are a primary source of arsenic-contaminated drinking water which has caused widespread poisoning in the densely populated South Asian nation, according to a study released Monday.

The findings of the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, could help the Bangladeshi government as it draws up strategies to provide safe drinking water and also benefit countries like Cambodia and Vietnam wrestling with similar problems.

Odorless and tasteless, arsenic enters water supplies from natural deposits in the ground or from agricultural and industrial waste. Consuming even small amounts over a long period can cause cancer, skin problems, abnormal heart rhythms and death.