
‘Clean water shouldn’t be a luxury – it’s a fundamental right,’ says Dr Jagannath Biswakarma, Senior Research Associate in the School of Earth Sciences. For him, this mission is deeply personal, driving his research and advocacy to tackle arsenic contamination, with promising outcomes already emerging.
My research at the University focuses on understanding the complex molecular-scale processes that occur in soils and waters – especially where they interact. These processes directly impact water quality and treatment. With Associate Professor James Byrne and our team here, I’ve been working on a project that explores arsenic contamination in groundwater and how arsenic behaves under different environmental conditions.
Areas in South East Asia – particularly northeastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam – are highly prone to geogenic arsenic contamination. Arsenic is deceptive: it doesn’t give any colour or taste to the water, so if you extract water from the ground and it’s clean, clear and tasteless, it’s not necessarily safe to drink. We recently discovered that the highly toxic, dominant form of arsenic in groundwater can be converted into a less mobile, less toxic form.
Puzzle pieces on the career path
I grew up in Assam, a region rich in biodiversity and natural resources but burdened by arsenic contamination in groundwater. Looking back, it feels like every piece of the puzzle has had a purpose in shaping me. When I was 15, I wrote an essay on environment and water pollution for my school magazine. It felt like a small act, but it gave me a sense of purpose. I had initially planned to become an aeronautical engineer and was even accepted into a program. But my grandmother gently encouraged me to reconsider. Around the same time, my mathematics teacher introduced me to biotechnology, and I found myself drawn to the environmental applications of science. I went on to study industrial biotechnology in Chennai.
My studies took me to Japan for an internship with the Hiyoshi Corporation, where I focused on soil and water quality analysis. After returning to India, I joined the Defence Research Laboratory, investigating medicinal plant extracts as sustainable alternatives to chemical fertilizers to mitigate fungal infections in agriculture. Following graduation, I went back to Hiyoshi and helped to build a start-up in Chennai dedicated to environmental monitoring.
After that, I spent nearly a decade in Switzerland, pursuing my postgraduate to postdoctoral studies at Eawag and in ETH Zurich, where I deepened my knowledge of geochemistry, water sustainability, and environmental regulation – and crucially, I also acquired the language of diplomacy. This skill has proven essential in transforming scientific findings into actionable policies. From there, I arrived in Bristol in 2022 at the School of Earth Sciences, which opened the door to new research and innovative approaches to addressing the arsenic problem.
The Ronaldo of arsenic
Research can be humbling: one day, I feel brilliant for designing an experiment, and the next, I’m rethinking everything because it didn’t work. But those challenges make the breakthroughs even more meaningful. Science isn’t interested in pleasing our egos! But it’s great at making us approach a problem in innovative ways. My friends fondly call me the ‘Ronaldo of arsenic research’ because I’m always chasing goals to mitigate this invisible crisis. And it’s true – I’m driven.

This February, I was back in Assam to collect more groundwater samples to gain better understanding of the factors that affect the mobility and toxicity of arsenic in the region. In one village, I watched a family drawing crystal-clear water from a well that I knew was laced with arsenic, which strengthened my resolve to alert the community, as we always do in these cases. Many of these sources are also used for irrigating crops like rice, which can absorb arsenic from the water. The contamination enters the food chain, compounding the risk. But scientific research alone is not enough!
The science diplomat
Arsenic of any type or concentration is toxic: chronic exposure causes illnesses such as skin lesions and cancers. To solve the whole problem, we need decentralized treatment plants with a thorough protocol, skilled human resources, policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, and behavioral change experts. In short, solving the arsenic problem isn’t just about chemistry – it’s about people and policies. So, government interventions are crucial.
In India, the Ministry of Water Resources runs the Jal Jeevan Mission, a national water distribution agency that aims to provide adequate water for everyone – but proper quality control hasn’t been a priority. To convince the government to change that, we the scientists also need to be diplomats and use appropriate language. At Eawag, I learned valuable lessons in translating research into policy from my PhD advisor, Professor Janet Hering, who was a director of one of the world-leading water research institutes in Switzerland (again, those puzzle pieces have fallen into place!).
These conversations are now happening: in February, I was invited to an investment and infrastructure summit in Assam- Advantage Assam 2.0, inaugurated by the Prime Minister. This provided an excellent platform to share my research insights and advocate for safer water practices. Although our work is rooted in Assam, the insights we gain here at Bristol directly inform global efforts to protect communities facing similar arsenic challenges elsewhere.
It’s a daunting challenge, but I’m committed to making a difference in these vulnerable communities — the communities I come from. Because, wherever you live, clean water shouldn’t be a luxury – it’s a fundamental right.