Dear Dr. Gunnar Jacks:

Three main types of rice are grown in Bangladesh. These are (a) Aush (b) Aman
and (c) Boro. The Aush and Aman rice are cultivated in Baishakh(April-May).
The Aush rice is harvested in Srabon(July-August) where as the Aman rice is
harvested in Augrahyon(November-December). The Aush and Aman are grown all over
Bangladesh. The water level starts to rise in June and most of the cultivated
land is submerged in the wet season mainly from July to November. In the low
lands the Aush and Amon rice are mainly grown in water and the low lands remains
under water for about 6 months each year. If you go to Bangladesh now, you will
see how the low lands and wetlands look. In the wet season, the dry lands
including the wetlands you mentioned in your post is inundated by water. The
people of Bangladesh and West Bengal of India have been growing Aush and Aman
rice for thousands of years. Prior to 1975 in Bangladesh and prior to the
1960's in West Bengal of India, there was no significant lowering of water table
because there was no diversion of river water and a significant amount of
groundwater was not used for irrigation, and there was no groundwater arsenic
poisoning in the Bengal Basin.

After 1975, due to the over-pumping of groundwater and the diversion of river
water, a new oxidized zone is formed that lies below the ancient and naturally
created oxidized zone which was a reducing zone prior to 1975 and now appears to
be the pay zone of the groundwater arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh. If arsenic
was released from the reducing zone before the water diversion by Farakka and
other dams/barrages and the over-pumping of groundwater, groundwater users
should have been poisoned by arsenic.

Dr. Jacks, the "recent wetland cultivation theory" you proposed does not support
the source and the mechanism for the mobilization of arsenic into the
groundwater arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. Did you
find any arsenic rich ironhydroxide above the groundwater table? What is the
age of these ironhydroxide? If you have any data that supports the "Recent
wetlands cultivation Theory", please share your data. If your data support the
OXHYDROXIDE REDUCTION THEORY, I do not find any reason why we would not accept
your theory.

Yours Sincerely,

Meer Husain