Arsenic is a highly toxic and carcinogenic trace metal that can potentially contaminate groundwater sources in volcanic regions and affect communities in the area, like those residing around the Taal Volcano.

The volcano’s eruption last 2020 encouraged an investigation into the quality of groundwater sources in communities surrounding the volcano. In response, the EnviHealth team in ACRI conducted a comparative documentation, “Arsenic in Groundwater Sources from Selected Communities Surrounding Taal Volcano, Philippines”. Water samples from 26 wells were collected across 11 municipalities and 1 city in Batangas province within danger zones from the volcano which were used to analyze total arsenic levels of the samples. Geographic coordinates of the sampling points were also recorded for mapping.

As part of the study, the Taal Volcano Environmental Health Task Force and EnviHealth team created an online interactive map to help policymakers and decision makers visualize the extent of arsenic groundwater contamination in Batangas Province.

The interactive map was developed to share information on arsenic levels in groundwater around Taal Lake, which can be easily accessed online by policymakers and local government units for policy and planning purposes. It displays a map which highlights the various municipalities and cities surrounding the lake, along with the point water sources in these areas. The municipalities are color-coded based on arsenic levels where concentrations are depicted through varying shades of red, with the darkest gradient depicting high Arsenic levels (n=XXX pbm). Upon selecting a location, the map provides detailed information about the barangay, including its geographical coordinates, arsenic levels for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as the corresponding municipality. 

The map is available and accessible to the public through this link: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/arsenic-in-groundwater-sources_775651#12/13.9912/120.9931