Evaluation of groundwater quality and potential health risks in the Tengratila Gas Field Blowout Region, Bangladesh: An in-depth analysis utilizing multivariate statistics, heavy metal indices and Monte Carlo simulation.

Safe drinking water assessment is crucial for municipal and national health and socioeconomic issues. This study focuses on drinking water quality and health risks around the Tengratila gas field, which experienced two blowouts within six months in 2005. In total, 27 groundwater samples were collected for evaluating several physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations. The concentrations of lead, cadmium, manganese, and arsenic were found at elevated amounts surpassing the international standards. Single Factor and Nemerow Pollution Indices, Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HMPI), and Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HMEI) were used to assess contamination level. Overall, 89 % of HMPIs and 100 % of HMEIs stated excessive heavy metal contamination. Two demographic groups were considered for health risk using deterministic and Monte Carlo probabilistic approaches to confront uncertainty. These analyses concluded children had higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks than adults. Multivariate techniques including correlation coefficients, CA, ANOVA and Tukey test were performed to comprehend water quality parameters connections and variability. PCA and PMF identified three distinct groups demonstrating how geological, geomorphic and anthropogenic factor affect water quality. Therefore, this article accumulates an extensive analysis of drinking water quality along with its environmental impact, which is undoubtedly vital for such densely populated habitat.