Abu Borhan M Badruzzaman

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology | BUET · Department of Civil Engineering

On-site sanitation facilities meet the sanitation needs of a major portion of the population of Bangladesh. However, the generated fecal sludge (FS) is not properly handled and is instead discharged in low-lying areas, posing a significant risk to human health and the environment. There are many examples from the United States, Europe, Japan, and C...

On-site sanitation facilities meet the sanitation needs of a major portion of the population of Bangladesh. However, the generated fecal sludge (FS) is not properly handled and is instead discharged in low-lying areas, posing a significant risk to human health and the environment. There are many examples from the United States, Europe, Japan, and C...

Bangladesh has gained tremendous momentum in development activities in recent decades. One such mega project which has garnered a lot of attention is the Dhaka Metro Rail project. One part of the route passes the road of High Court to Raju Vashkorjo. The decision of choosing this part as a route of metro rail was met with criticism from people beca...

The role of man-made ponds on arsenic mobilization was examined in Bangladesh. Here, we describe a field experiment that shows how recharge from a newly constructed pond creates a reactive front that moves downward into the underlying aquifer, but only advances slowly, less than 8 cm/year. We found that pond recharge introduces organic carbon that...

To assess the spatial and layer-wise distributions of 26 elements (Na, Al, Mg, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Sb, Co, Ba, Zn, Rb, Cs, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Ta, Hf, Th and U) as well as the spatial distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a polluted urban river (Turag, Bangladesh), benthic sediment samples from 11 different sampling...

Hatirjheel Lake is known as the centre of the Dhaka city, the capital of the Bangladesh, a South Asian riverine country. But, unfortunately, soon this lake will be darken due to huge pollution. Therefore, to augment dissolve oxygen level, aeration system has been acknowledged as an effective way for the lake restoration, and an aeration zone and fo...

Groundwater is a key source of drinking water for 2 billion people around the world. Currently, groundwater is the major source of water for urban supply and for drinking in rural areas of Bangladesh. Despite the depletion in groundwater level due to high volume of extraction, groundwater is still preferable as drinking water source as surface wate...

Climate-induced waterlogging has been significantly affecting the lives and livelihood of people in the south-west coastal region of Bangladesh for a couple of decades. The objective of this study is to investigate the waterlogging hazards of Tala, a south-western coastal Upazila of Bangladesh by analyzing satellite image. An empirical model based...

Application of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) can be an efficient method for precipitation measurement in Bangladesh. The TRMM was a joint US−Japan space program used to measure tropical rainfall with spatial and temporal distribution. This study analyses the reliability of TRMM data by comparing them with the rain gauge data of Ban...

Recently, increasing research efforts have been made to exploit the enormous potential of nanotechnology and nanomaterial in the application of arsenic removal from water. As a result, there are myriad of types of nanomaterials being developed and studied for their arsenic removal capabilities. Nevertheless, challenges such as having a complete und...

Groundwater contamination by arsenic (As) is a serious public health concern in many different areas worldwide, particularly in the Bengal region. Mobilization and fate of As in natural waters is controlled by a variety of factors including the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). This study experimentally determined conditional distribution c...

About 12.5 million people use potable drinking water supplied by DWASA. Water thus supplied by DWASA is first stored at the underground reservoir and then pumped to overhead reservoirs at household level. This study focuses on the quality of water supplied by DWASAboth in dry and wet seasons by determining presence and amounts of different paramete...

Background Layered double hydroxide compounds (LDHs) have been applied for the removal of oxyanions including arsenate (As(V)). However, the aim of this research article is to present a developed LDH to treat arsenite (As(III)). Both batch and column sorption studies were conducted to assess the effect of LDHs dosage, contact time, solution pH and...

Extensive use of arsenic-contaminated well water for irrigation of rice fields in Bangladesh has led to elevated arsenic concentrations in rice plants, decreased rice yields, and increased human exposure to arsenic. The goal of this study was to investigate whether arsenic removal from irrigation water could be improved within distribution channels...

Groundwater recharge affects water budgets and groundwater quality on the deltas and floodplains of South and Southeast Asia. Rain and flooding rivers recharge groundwater during the monsoon; irrigated rice fields and surface-water bodies recharge aquifers during the dry season. Groundwater throughout the region is severely contaminated by arsenic...

MSc Thesis Presentation

The principle of subsurface arsenic (As) remov-al (SAR) is to extract anoxic groundwater, aerate it and re-inject it. Oxygen in the injected water reacts with iron in the resident groundwater to form hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Dissolved As sorbs onto the HFO, which allows for the extraction of groundwater with lower As concen-trations. SAR was app...

We apply fluid-replacement logging in arsenic-contaminated regions of Bangladesh using a low-cost, down-well fluid conductivity logging tool to detect leaks in the cased section of wells. The fluid-conductivity tool is designed for the developing world: it is lightweight and easily transportable, operable by one person, and can be built for minimal...

Laboratory incubations of sediment collected from an arsenic-contaminated aquifer in Bangladesh revealed a hitherto undocumented pool of biodegradable sedimentary organic carbon. Sampling, homogenizing, handling, and/or experimentation with the sediment released organic carbon, causing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations to reach 150–250...

In this study, the sorption and transport behaviour of copper in sandy soil has been studied by laboratory batch and column experiments. Partitioning coefficient (k<sub align="right"> d </sub>) of copper on sandy soil has been determined by laboratory flow-through (or column) method. Analytical model CXTFIT (2.0) (Toride et al., 1995) and the metho...

Dhaka is a city that stretches only a few miles in radius, but a city that can be described instantaneously as a city of traffic and crowd. This is a city of fifteen million people who live in every bend of the city's narrow roads, slums and streets. With this huge people heavy noise generates, in one word which is to be described, would be chaos....

Arsenic-contaminated groundwater is widely used to irrigate dry-season rice (boro) in Bangladesh. This has greatly improved food security but is leading to increased As levels in soils and rice and may cause yield reductions in the long term. Owing to the gradual accumulation of As in paddy soil, the adverse effects of groundwater irrigation may al...

Across Bangladesh, dry-season irrigation with arsenic-contaminated well water is loading arsenic onto rice paddies, leading to increased arsenic concentrations in plants, diminished crop yields, and increased human health risks. As irrigation water flows through conveyance channels between wells and rice fields, arsenic concentrations change over s...

Hand-pump subsurface arsenic removal (SAR) has been investigated in rural Bangladesh with different groundwater conditions and intermittent operation modes. Multiple injection-abstraction cycles were performed after injection of 1 m 3 of aerated water. From these experiments it can be concluded that hand-pump SAR, in the traditional injection-abstr...

A preliminary feasibility assessment of managed aquifer-recharge (MAR) techniques was undertaken for Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Considering the top impermeable-layer (TIL) thickness and the land-use classification, four primary MAR techniques have been suggested: (1) soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) for TIL thickness 0–8 m, (2) cascade-type recharge trenc...

In this study, a laboratory scale aquifer model (sand tank) experiment has been carried out to simulate the 2-D transport pattern of copper into the sandy soil. The data collected from the experiment was used for verification of this physical transport experiment by using a flow and transport simulation software (MODFOLW). In case of simulation of...

Groundwater recharge affects water budgets and groundwater quality on the deltas and floodplains of South and Southeast Asia. Rain and flooding rivers recharge groundwater during the monsoon; irrigated rice fields and surface water bodies recharge aquifers during the dry season. Groundwater throughout the region is severely contaminated by arsenic,...

The aim of the study is to assess indoor air quality in industrial and university areas and related health symptoms among the occupants. A field study was undertaken to assess the levels of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and TVOCs and these values were compared with the standard guidelines....

The field study presented in this paper describes the small and community scale application of subsurface arsenic removal under low phosphate conditions in rural Bangladesh. The geochemical composition of groundwater, in particular phosphate, was hypothesized to have significant influence in the site-specific effectiveness of subsurface arsenic rem...

Huge quantities of untreated domestic and industrial wastes are being released everyday in Sitalakhya River, flowing along the eastern side of Dhaka City. The water quality of this river is deteriorating rapidly, especially during the dry season at certain reaches of the river. A one-dimensional quasi-steady state water quality model has been devel...

In Bangladesh, irrigation of dry season rice (boro) with arsenic-contaminated groundwater is leading to increased As levels in soils and rice, and to concerns about As-induced yield reduction. Arsenic concentrations and speciation in soil porewater are strongly influenced by redox conditions, and thus by water management during rice growth. We stud...

Arsenic-contaminated groundwater is widely used to irrigate dry-season rice (boro) in Bangladesh. This has greatly improved food security but is leading to increased As levels in soils and rice and may cause As-induced yield reductions in the long term. Owing to the gradual accumulation of As in paddy soil [1,2], the adverse effects of groundwater...

In several districts of Bangladesh, over 80% of shallow tubewells (STWs) are affected by arsenic concentrations above 50 μg/L. Deep tubewells (DTWs) are among the preferred mitigation options for reducing exposure to arsenic. During field studies around the town of Sreenagar (30 km South of Dhaka) we collected water samples from existing STWs, DTWs...

In a three-year field study, we investigated the biogeochemical cycling of As in an irrigated rice paddy system in Munshiganj district, Bangladesh. Our objectives were (i) to understand the spatial distribution of As in irrigated rice fields, (ii) to quantify the gains and losses of As during irrigation and monsoon flooding, and (iii) to assess pos...

Over 85% of shallow tubewells (STWs) in the district of Mushiganj, Bangladesh, are affected by As concentrations above 50 μg/L. Deep tubewells (DTWs) are among the preferred mitigation options for reducing exposure to As. Around the town of Sreenagar (30 km South of Dhaka) water samples were collected from existing STWs and DTWs, monitoring wells (...

In Bangladesh, irrigation of dry season rice (boro) with arsenic-contaminated groundwater is leading to increased As levels in soils and rice, and to concerns about As-induced yield reduction. Arsenic concentrations and speciation in soil porewater are strongly influenced by redox conditions, and thus by water management during rice growth. We stud...

Irrigation of rice fields in Bangladesh with arsenic-contaminated groundwater transfers tens of cubic kilometers of water and thousands of tons of arsenic from aquifers to rice fields each year. Here we combine observations of infiltration patterns with measurements of porewater chemical composition from our field site in Munshiganj Bangladesh to c...

The Ganges Delta suffers from water-borne disease. Arsenic in the groundwater pumped from drinking water wells is causing severe and widespread disease, and these wells were installed, in part, to avoid pathogens in the surface water supply. I will discuss the hydrogeologic controls of arsenic concentrations in groundwater, specifically the role of...

Air pollution is an important public health concern in most cities around the world. Millions of people die or suffer from serious health problem such as respiratory disease including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer every year. In developing countries, air pollution has not received adequate attention. Bangladesh is a...

Groundwater rich in arsenic (As) is extensively used for dry season boro rice cultivation in Bangladesh, leading to long-term As accumulation in soils. This may result in increasing levels of As in rice straw and grain, and eventually, in decreasing rice yields due to As phytotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the As contents of rice straw an...

This paper has sought to show the potential of energy recovery from rurally available agro and household organic wastes and thus, the possible impact on supplementing energy demand, reducing deforestation, and replacing fossil fuel as well as avoided greenhouse gases. Results show that co-digestion of a wide range of manure, crop residues and...

Development of an Assessment System to Evaluate the Ecological Status of Rivers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region (ASSESS-HKH) was a 3-year research project funded by the European Union (Contract number: INCO-CT-2005-003659). This article provides an overview of this research project by summarising the objectives, the approaches and the main achie...

Shallow groundwater, often rich in arsenic (As), is widely used for irrigation of dry season boro rice in Bangladesh. In the long term, this may lead to increasing As contents in rice paddy soils, which threatens rice yields, food quality, and human health. The objective of this study was to quantify gains and losses of soil As in a rice paddy fiel...

Bangladesh relies heavily on groundwater for the irrigation of dry-season rice. However, the groundwater used for irrigation often contains high concentrations of arsenic, potentially jeopardizing the future of rice production in the country. In seasonally flooded fields, topsoil arsenic concentrations decrease during the monsoon season, suggesting...

The origin of dissolved arsenic in the Ganges Delta has puzzled researchers ever since the report of widespread arsenic poisoning two decades ago. Today, microbially mediated oxidation of organic carbon is thought to drive the geochemical transformations that release arsenic from sediments, but the source of the organic carbon that fuels these proc...

Researchers have puzzled over the origin of dissolved arsenic in the aquifers of the Ganges Delta since widespread arsenic poisoning from groundwater was publicized two decades ago. Previous work has concluded that biological oxidation of organic carbon drives geochemical transformations that mobilize arsenic from sediments; however, the source of...

Flow through a groundwater-irrigated rice field in Bangladesh was characterized with data collected from a transect of tensiometers and time domain reflectometry sensors, novel tracer tests, infiltration tests, soil core analyses, and calculated water budgets. The combined data captured the dynamic hydrologic behavior of the rice field over an enti...

Fertilizer application to increase rice production has significantly increased in Bangladesh in the recent decades. However, excess nutrients from fertilizer application pose a threat of contamination of water bodies. This paper presents the results of monitoring nutrient concentration in an intensively rice-cultivated area to assess the pollution...

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...

Arsenic-rich groundwater from shallow tube wells is widely used for the irrigation of boro rice in Bangladesh and West Bengal. In the long term this may lead to the accumulation of As in paddy soils and potentially have adverse effects on rice yield and quality. In the companion article in this issue, we have shown that As input into paddy fields w...

The Sitalakhya River receives thermal discharges from the Globeleq and Siddhirganj Power Plants and is the designated recipient of the additional thermal discharges from proposed power plants in the area. Thermal discharges produce thermal plumes of elevated temperature and greatly influence the major water quality parameters mainly through alterat...

Although arsenic contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh is a serious health issue, little is known about the complex transient patterns of groundwater flow that flush solutes from aquifers and carry solutes into the subsurface. Hydrologic modeling results for our field site in the Munshiganj district indicate that groundwater flow is vigorous, flus...

Arsenic is a contaminant in the groundwater of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, where an estimated 57 million people may be drinking water with unsafe arsenic levels. The source of arsenic appears to be natural, solid-phase arsenic in the sediments, and various theories have been put forth regarding the modes of arsenic release, ranging from the...