Fact
Sheet
On
ARSENIC #XXII
December 2003
PREPARED BY:
Disaster Forum
5/8,
Mohammadpur,
Dhaka-1200,
Phone
# 017-524409
Editorial:
Those sincerely working to develop effective mitigation technologies have become so frustrated by the hurdles and stumbling blocks laid in their way. The latest stumbling block is an instruction given by the government that no technology can be sold or given away before they are certified by BSCIR. But BCSIR is not in a position to give approval, and for one simple reason – they do not have the money needed to carry out the tests. From this it might seem there is a deliberate policy to keep technologies out of the hands of people. Supposedly intended to keep out technologies of dubious value, it also has the effect of keeping good ones out but as the consequential delay in getting them to the people could become a death sentence for them, something must be done to break this deadlock.
Up to now, no technology has been given clearance but if, as has been reported, more than 150,000 people have been diagnosed with arsenicosis such unnecessary delays are totally unwarranted and borders on the barbaric because there are too many children who have been consuming arsenic-contaminated water since birth. Thus we are honour-bound to provide them with any technology that might relieve their suffering. Instead we have tied up in red tape an action that should have been simple. As one NGO worker said, if the solution becomes a part of the problem, what will happen to the villagers?
That’s a good question because arsenic-poisoning if untreated can lead to death and a very painful death at that.
Six years after
Sylvia Mortoza
Gawher
Nayeem Wahra
Sumaya
Noor
_______________________
Editorial
& Compilation Team
December
31, 2003
NGO FORUM DISCUSSION MEET
At
a meeting held at regional office of the NGO Forum for Drinking Water
Supply
and Sanitation, speakers revealed that six persons have died from
arsenic-poisoning in Babuganj upazila of
VALIDATION OF ARSENIC
MITIGATION
TECHNOLOGIES LAGGING BEHIND
In
January 2002, [under their partnership agreement for the validation of
arsenic
mitigation technologies,] the Bangladesh Council for Scientific and
Industrial
Research (BCSIR) asked Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation Water Supply
Project
(BAMWSP) to submit the first batch of [arsenic removal] technologies
for
[validation]. [In this,] BCSIR are
working in collaboration with the Ontario Centre for Environmental
Technology
Advancement (OCETA) for obtaining technical know-how on validating
chemical-based arsenic removal plants.
BCSIR
was to complete the task of the technical advisory committee (TAG)
which had
earlier recommended the wide use of chemical-based technologies without
doing
any physical analyses. In March 2002, 17
arsenic removal technologies were sent [to BCSIR] for validation. Five [of these] technologies were
short-listed and their field-tests are still underway at
Chapainawabganj,
Manikganj, Hajiganj, Bera in Pabna and Kolaroa in Satkhira. But not one of the field tests began on time
as the equipment and accessories for testing them were not in place. Yet in July 2002 the government issued a
gazette notification stating that, "all chemical-based arsenic filters
or
removal plants must obtain certification from … BCSIR before being
marketed for
public use"
BCSIR
validation of the technologies was supposed to be submitted by 31 May
2003 of
this year but, according to reports, not one of the technologies has
since been
approved for use and the authorities concerned could not explain why.
Moreover,
[at least five technologies for] chemical-based arsenic removal are
reported to
be waiting approval for the past one year.
Only when they get [this approval] from BSCIR can these
technologies be
passed on to the arsenic-affected people.
In
December 2002, a second batch of 12 arsenic removal technologies was
submitted
to BCSIR, but as the validation of the first batch of technologies is
not yet
complete, when the field-testing of the second batch will take place
seems to be
in the hands of the gods. If reports
[are true] that the total allocation for the validation process has
already
been spent and there is no fund for starting field-tests of the second
batch,
[timing of field testing of the second batch] could be never. [Meanwhile,] according to a new report
published in [the scientific journal] Nature, arsenic-tainted well
water could
be causing up to 125,000 cases of skin cancer and 3,000 deaths each
year.
PATIENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH
QUESTIONED
In
the villages of Bogra, Pabna, and Chapai Nawabganj In Sarisabari,
I
have visited about a dozen affected villages several times this year in
connection with a Christian Aid Assessment Survey and have now started
to
believe that those communities exposed to toxic arsenic through
drinking water
for a long time are strongly affected mentally.
These villagers are mentally slow and inactive and do not
respond to
conversation and requests. Families are
indifferent to what is going on and show no interest in remedial
suggestions,
or in adopting any alternative sources of safe water or medications.
Though
they sometimes do respond immediately, they fail to maintain their
interest as
they do not have the mental strength and stamina. If this is so,
arsenic
mitigation will be doubly difficult. And
if it continues, the agricultural labour force will be destroyed,
productivity
will decline, and poverty intensified. This is why we, the town-folk,
away from
arsenic contamination (because we are fortunate enough to have running
water
from deeper levels), should be concerned.
Source: AKM Azad
HOME GROWN RELIEF
Village
by village, the world's “biggest natural calamity” is yielding to
hybrid
filtration systems Sen Gupta,
professor
of civil and environmental engineering at
According
to Sen Gupta, arsenic levels in the filtered wells have plummeted from
toxic
rates of 100 to 500 parts per billion to well below the 50-ppb maximum
permitted by the Indian government.
Arsenicosis sufferers have found relief from their symptoms and
reports
of new cases have plummeted.
Sen
Gupta's systems are being built in
check wells weekly
for arsenic levels.
THE KISII FILTER:
The
Kisii Filter bucket system consists of two, low-cost transparent PVC
containers, and a ceramic candle filter. Developed by the
Netherlands-based
Rural Water Systems (RWS) in
SURVEY BY THE
A
survey by the Bangladesh Arsenic Control Society in Charghat Thana in
Rajshahi
district revealed that women affected by arsenic poisoning are being
socially
discriminated within the community. Young girls face difficulties in
attending
schools, women are ostracized and there are instances of divorce,
broken
families and social injustice.
Because
of the skin changes, working women are also being discriminated against
in
their working environments and many have had to leave their jobs
leading to
economic hardship and social disruption. It is difficult to arrange a
marriage
for girls known or suspected of having arsenic poisoning.
As
most rural women remain at home they are less likely to drink water
from
outside sources. For this reason women need to be made especially aware
about
arsenic-poisoning and
how to reduce the risk to their health....
JS BODY RE-EXAMINING THE
PRESENCE OF ARSENIC IN THE WATER
The Parliamentary
standing committee on
the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives recently observed that the method
of
testing the existence of arsenic in the country’s groundwater was
incorrect.
The Parliamentary body suggested reexamining the samples of water
across the
country with more credible methods so as to get “reliable” information
about
the severity of arsenic contamination in the country.
Md Abdul Mannan Talukdar,
the committee
chairman said, "we think that the methods followed to test the
existence
of arsenic in ground water was not correct as the DPHE entrusted the
responsibility of testing to teachers of primary and high schools by
providing
them with chemicals and necessary kits."
He said that the way of testing for arsenic was not correct as
the
school teachers did not have any expertise on the issue. "Considering
the
limitations of the study on arsenic, we have observed that fresh tests
should
be conducted to measure the severity of arsenic contamination across
the
country." But he did not consider
the money already spent for conducting the survey on the extent of
arsenic
contamination nor did he say anything about the expenses needed for a
fresh
survey.
Source : The Independent
Experts at a seminar in
the city warned
that more people would be afflicted with arsenic poisoning if they
continue to
use ground water instead of surface water. They said 55 million people
drink
water with arsenic contamination at 10 microgram per litre. Kazi
Qumruzzaman,
chairman of DCH, said arsenic problem in
Dr Dipankar Chakraborti
of
Source: Md Mustafizur
Rahman / The
ARSENIC IN THE SOIL
If the arsenic
concentration in the
soil, growing food crops on that land is risky. Even crop establishment
may not
be possible if it is planted in highly contaminated soil.
In a pot culture with a soil arsenic
concentration of around 100 mg/kg the rice plant died immediately after
transplantation (this is my observation - unpublished data).
[...] In my research with
arsenic I
found a high accumulation of arsenic in rice straw when rice was
irrigated with
As-contaminated water. For reference you
could see the papers listed below.
Rice straw is mainly used
as cattle
feed in
Source :Joinal Abedin
VIOLATION OF CHILDREN’S
RIGHT TO SAFE WATER & HEALTH
Millions of children are
drinking water
contaminated by arsenic along with members of their communities due to
the
contamination of groundwater. The safe
'hand
tubewells’ introduced by WHO, UNICEF, the Bangladesh government, NGOs
&
civil society to supply safe drinking in the 60s & 70s are now the
cause of
extensive poisoning, cancer, and death. Arsenic toxicity is not only
affecting
physiology, metabolism, and normal growth, the ‘poison’ seriously
affects the
already malnourished infants & children. It is also affecting
protein
synthesis and DNA repair, causing hereditary changes (mutations)
leading to
cancer, ruining reproductive growth and development and hormone
receptors thus
the future reproductive ability and normal life of the children is
seriously
threatened.
It is estimated that more
than 80
million Bangladeshis have already been exposed to arsenic. The majority
are
below the age of 15. So we are concerned with the future of a nation
but the
existing approach to mitigate this disaster has been “top down”, with
decisions
taken at the capital and “interventions” provided from the centre. Only a fraction of those affected are
provided with a one-time support when what is really needed is
sustainable
mitigation through “community-based
organisation” (CBO) approach in which community members are provided
with
options and given support to decide for themselves which technology to
adopt
that they can sustain. This would be
facilitated by NGOs with local contact and replicated and diffused
through many
villages. Schools would be provided with safe sources by the children
themselves, thereby learning the methods and then diffusing them into
their
homes and the homes of neighbours. There would be a need to scale up
the CBOs
in unserved areas and to link them with local government, central
government
departments and agencies like WHO, UNICEF, International NGOs. Thus the
approach should start from the “bottom,” small, effective, and
sustainable. It
should be appropriate for villagers, and implemented widely and quickly.
We are working in a
number of villages
and have had wide consultations with the suffering villagers. They are ready for this type of
community-based
intervention, but they need institutions and adoptable methods. They
have no
time to waste otherwise litigation, wide dissatisfaction, social unrest
and
country-wide instability may result as people experience unthinkable
suffering
and a slow painful death.
As members of the same
“global
village,” the arsenic disaster urgently needs serious attention, but so
far
this has failed at every level. What is
needed is a down-to-the-earth approach, going directly to each and
every
affected village, and each and every person, especially the infants and
children, to help them to solve their own problems. We do not want to
see
another chaotic situation like that which AIDS is causing in
Source: Dr. M.I.Zuberi
Professor,
Dr Zuberi also visited villages just two
kilometers away from Rajshahi
University Campus. The villagers of Kismat Kukhundi said that several
of their
tubewells were labeled “red”, and many others were untested. They
sampled the
water and found three with arsenic as high as 616 ppb! There were
several
tubewells thought to be free from arsenic and they were using these but
this
option would soon run out also.
Many tube wells around the city of
- All options for safe drinking water
should remain open. They should be
standardized and monitored, but availability and affordability of
viable
options is more important. At any cost the people MUST get safe water.
- Labeling tubewells red should be
compulsory and there should be legal
obligation; it is better to remove or seal them.
- Mitigation and awareness creation should
be an “emergency crisis”
activity, all possible resources and persons should be involved.
- Participation of village people and
women is essential and a “must” for
rapid success.
- Action is what is needed.
Policymaking and decision taking has already taken up too much
valuable
time and caused irreparable loss.
- Nutritional
intervention and
removal of arsenic from the body are also much-needed interventions.
These will
save the body from the arsenic load and future harm, and enable the
affected
people to regain their ability to work, otherwise millions will lose
their jobs
and work affecting the country’s economy and creating a burden on
society.
Secondly, those heads of family using
contaminated tubewell water are
feeding it to infants, children, and would-be mothers. ”We have seen
little
boys and girls affected, and we have seen expectant mothers drinking
arsenic-water," said Dr. Zuberi. Research reports say abortion rates
are
significantly higher in the contaminated areas. This means there is a
case for
mandatory sealing of contaminated wells, but before doing that safe
water
sources must be provided to all the contaminated villages. Awareness
building
at community level and advocacy at decision-making level are both
important.
BRAC AND UNICEF
BRAC and UNICEF in a bid
to tackle the
arsenic menace in different parts of Sonargaon upazila have been
pursuing the
treatment of surface water with: Pond
Sand Filter (PSF),
Rainwater Harvesters
(RWH), treatment of ground water with home-based filters and use of
shallow
groundwater through dug-wells. A number of alternative safe water
options are
now in operation as demonstration units to raise the level of awareness
in the
community. These options have been assessed after considering initial
and
running costs, ease of implementation, requirement for maintenance,
provision
of intermittent or continuous supply, susceptibility to bacterialogical
contamination and acceptability by the local community.
In village Badyabazar the home-based three
pitcher filter is in use. Ayesha and her family members are using this
but say
they can collect only two pitchers of water a day which is not
sufficient to
meet their daily needs even for drinking water. They have to use water
from
other sources for washing utensils and clothes. In village Joyrampur,
the PSF
method is being followed. Bashir Mollah of the village said that 65
families
can use a community based PSF consisting of a tank containing the bed
of filter
materials and a storage chamber.
ARSENIC FREE FILTERS
The following
organisations and personnel have invented
arsenic free filters for
groundwater at minimal
cost:
1. The
a government
organisation, has developed an arsenic free
filter. To develop this filter they have utilised locally available raw
materials. The water flow rate is said to be 6 litres per hour. The
cost of the
filter is Taka 300/00 only and it can purify up to 60,000 litres of
water. The
cost of filtering a litre of water works out to only 20 paisa.
2. The Chairman of the
Allergy
Environmental Research and Skin Care Institute (AARSCI), Dr. M.A.
Hassan has
invented a filter to remove arsenic from contaminated groundwater. He
utilised
indigenous materials such as coconut coir, coconut shells and husk.
After
manufacture, he added a small amount of alum and mixed it with the
water and
allowed it to settle for 12 hours.
3. An environmental
expert from the Integrated
Quality and Environmental Management (IQU)
4. Research Associate
Professor of
According to Dr. Meng the
technique
used is an iron coagulate tablet that when immersed in a bucket of
water could
dissolve the arsenic that was present in the water. The water is then
filtered
through a bucket filled to a level of one-third with highly absorbent
sand. The
bucket has a hole at the bottom from where the arsenic free water is
collected
via a tube. The arsenic sludge remains
in the sand.
5. Emergency Relief
Society, a Canadian
society dedicated to providing newly developed water purifiers to
Bangladeshi
families, with a view to providing pure uncontaminated water to
thousands and
eventually millions of families through local fabrication of water
purifiers.
These water purifiers come in family sized units, require no water
pressure,
electricity or chemicals of any sort. They have proven to be effective
in
removing most noxious contaminants, including arsenic.
6. Aqualor, an on-site
sodium
hypochlorite generator to sanitize drinking water in small communities,
requires only common salt, water and electricity (110/220 volts, 50/60
hertz AC
or DC from photovoltaic solar cells). It does not require any skilled
operators, is easy to operate and maintain. The only maintenance needed
is the
immersing of the electrolytic for a few minutes in white vinegar or
hydrochloric acid. Fresh, stable and clean disinfectant generated in
the same
place of use. Sodium Hypochlorite concentration is not dangerous to the
operator
or to the environment.
Designed to
operate and resist abusive handling and harsh tropical conditions. It
is said
to be the most economical way to sanitize and
have safe drinking water
in remote communities of rural
areas and disaster zones.
7. Arsenic and Old Waste:
A predoctoral
fellow finds an organism with a taste for poison in May 1995.
Howard Hughes Medical
Institute
predoctoral fellow Dianne Ahmann, a graduate
student at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
discovered an arsenic eating microbe in the waters of the Aberjona
Watershed
near
8. A Simple Filter-Tablet
System
developed by SOES, Javadpur,
The black coloured tablet
contains Fe3+
salt, an oxidizing agent and activated charcoal. The tablet is supplied
in a
pouch or box After adding the tablet to the arsenic contaminated water
the
water turns black due to the presence of carbon. After filtering the
water it
is easy to know (from the suspended black particles) whether or not
there is
any leakage from the filter. The tablets are made by hand so the size
and
quality are not the same in all batches. After preparation, provided it
is
stored in a dark room, the tablet retains its strength for more then 15
months.
Some agencies that have
evaluated the system:
National
1. Industrial
Toxicological
2. National Test House,
3. National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute,
4. Gaighata Science
Organization, North 24-Parganas, WB
International
Two-organisation (1) Asia
Arsenic
Network Japan (AAN-Japan) and (2) Asia Arsenic Network, Thailand Bureau
studied
our system in the field where we had installed it in W. Bengal.
AAN-Japan also
wrote to Chief Engineer, PHED,
Being satisfied with the
arsenic
removal system AAN-Japan purchased 300 units
from CSIR-New Delhi and
installed them in
World Health Organisation
after
purchasing 50 filtering system from CSIR, further ordered 500 filtering
systems
for
UNICEF AND MOTT MacDONALD
UNICEF and Mott MacDonald
have invented a ferro-cement
pre-fabricated jar of
various capacities for
use for Rainwater Harvesting.
1) Source - Rain water
2) Collection source -
Roof of House CI sheet, Tiles,
Building
3) Collection rate - 0.8
ltrs/ mm/ year incl.
4) For 1 mm annual
rainfall. Annual rainfall of
Period of Use - 6 months
Rainy season - 3 month
after end of season (minimum)
Collection pipe - PVC 75
mm- 100mm
Cost of PVC -M - TK100.00
(Including fitting/ fixing)
Water Collection Jar -
Ferro Cement Jar (UNICEF design)
Cost of Jar:
Capacity- 1000ltrs. - Tk.
1200.00
Capacity- 2000ltrs. - Tk.
2500.00
Capacity- 3000ltrs. - Tk.
3300.00
Maintenance cost - Tk.
200.00 (Maximum)
(UNICEF calculated cost)
WORKSHOP
A workshop on "Natural
arsenic in
groundwater" will be held in
ARSENIC DETECTION
The
Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology
(EAWAG) has
developed dipsticks that use genetically-modified bacteria to detect
arsenic in
groundwater. Existing chemical tests
have proven to be unreliable in detecting low, but still dangerous
levels of
arsenic. Previous bacterial sensors
detected just one form of arsenic, arsenite. The biosensor developed by
EAWAG
can not only detect much lower concentrations or arsenite, but is also
are
partly sensitive to arsenate, another toxic form of arsenic. Production
costs
could be as low as US$ 0.02 (EUR 0.017). Tests are currently underway
in
Source: Nature, 2 Oct
2003.
YOUTH GROUP TO FIGHT
ARSENIC POISONING
We
are forming a youth group, who will work as a volunteer
in villages where people are infected with arsenic and the young
people-adolescents-adults need
sustainable health services.
Source: