This time we visited two arsenic-affected villages in the Northwestern
Bangladesh right in the recent floodplains of the river Ganges, just opposite to
Maldah of West Bengal, India. The villages are Bhatutola and Malipara,
Chhatrajitpur Union, Chapai Nawabganj District. This district is the worst
affected in this region.

There are about 1200 people (150 families), all members of many families are
bearing acute symptoms of arsenic poisoning. I don’t want to bother you with
their sad state and misery – which you have already heard enough! But I would
like you to know the condition and suggest a way out as many of you are involved
with arsenic research and mitigation.

My information comes from the villagers and from what we saw on January 24
during our visit. The villages were known to be affected by arsenic
contamination since the last couple of years. Arsenicosis was reported, water
was tested for arsenic and all the tube-wells were marked ‘red’. NGOs,
researchers and officials visited the villagers; examined and photographed the
patients; and so on.

For a few weeks water was supplied brought in tanks for drinking to some
families; several filters were provided (Alcan and Shapla types as the villagers
told); some tubes of ointments and capsules were delivered. Then they were left
alone; the filters became choked; vitamins ran out; and the villagers resumed
drinking arsenic water.

We have seen they are using water from ‘red’ tube wells. They offered us the
same water when we wanted drinking water. When we mentioned about arsenic, they
said ‘we are drinking this water all the time, but if you drink one glassful,
nothing will happen!’

We formed “Local Groups” and requested the people, especially the women to sit
and discuss what they can do and what we can suggest. We raise the point
whether they had dug-wells. They reported that each households had dug-wells
which were abandoned and destroyed when they were asked to use tubewells some
30-40 years back. We planned to help them to dig wells again and three will be
dug soon, the well digging season traditionally starts in the spring eg. next
Bangla month (Falgun).

We demonstrated how they can reduce arsenic content from contaminated water by
leaving the water overnight and decanting the top two-thirds through folded
clean cloth and rejecting the bottom layer; also by treating contaminated water
with lemon-juice and sunlight, and decanting through layers of cloth. We also
requested them to take fresh vegetables, fruits with high carotene, meat/animal
protein/vitamin capsules if can afford.

We are trying to provide them with Shapla filters, replacing the active
ingredients of already used filters; and with vitamins and food supplements as
far as we can, through the Local Group.

Now the point is, the villagers did not get sustainable help from any department
or agency or authority. They said were visited by CARE (Mr. Shahidul and
Ms.Hasina), WATSAN (through local NGOs / activists), and others from Dhaka
University (giving arsenic syrup-D). Though they got some token remediation, no
one left any name, address, or clue with the villagers who they were, what they
did, or about what was given them to swallow and why.

No alternative source of drinking water was suggested or provided. They have
been continuing drinking very high arsenic-contaminated water. This is the
general scenario all over Bangladesh!

Is it not obligatory for all of us (donors, policy/decision makers, researchers,
social workers, human right activists, gender activists etc. etc.), to ensure
the supply of safe drinking water on a sustainable basis, beginning
systematically from every corner of the country, adopting diverse methods that
can be adopted immediately.

Screening new tube-wells, standardizing filters, researching alternatives for
future etc definitely should get less priority than saving those whom we know
are already getting poisoned and dying!

Should we not set our priority right at this moment!

Thanking you,

Prof. M I Zuberi, Rajshahi University