Spatial distribution and temporal variability of arsenic in irrigated rice fields in Bangladesh. 1. Irrigation water

Around 38% of the area of Bangladesh is irrigated with groundwater to grow dry season crops, most importantly boro rice. Due to high As concentrations in many groundwaters, over 1000 tons of As are thus , transferred to arable soils each year, creating a potential risk for future food production. We studied the reactions and changing speciation of As, Fe, P, and other elements in initially anoxic water during and after irrigation and the resulting spatial distribution of As input to paddy soils near Sreenagar (Munshiganj), 30 km south of Dhaka, in January and April 2005 and February 2006. The irrigation water had a constant concentration of 397 +/- 7 mu g L-1 As (similar to 84% As-III), 11 +/- 0.1 mg L-1 Fe, and 2 +/- 0.1 mg L-1 P. During the fast flow along the longest irrigation channel (152 m) As, Fe, and P speciation changed, but total concentrations did not decrease significantly, indicating that As input to fields was independent of the length of the irrigation channels. In contrast, during slow water flow across the fields, As, Fe, and P concentrations decreased strongly with increasing distance from the water inlet, due to formation and settling of As- and P-bearing Fe aggregates and by adsorption to soil minerals. Total As concentrations in field water were similar to 3 times higher close to the inlet than in the opposite field corner shortly after irrigation, and decreased to below 35 mu g L-1 over the next 72 h. The laterally heterogeneous transfer of As, Fe, and P from irrigation water to soil has important consequences for their distribution in irrigated fields and needs to be considered in sampling and in assessing the dynamics and mass balances of As fluxes among irrigation water, soil, and floodwater.