Title: Searching for a sustainable arsenic mitigation strategy in Bangladesh: experience from two upazilas

Authors: Md. Jakariya, M. Von Bromssen, G. Jacks, A.M.R. Chowdhury, K.M. Ahmed, P. Bhattacharya

Addresses: NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, 4/6 Block E, Lalmatia, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. ' KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Department of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. ' KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Department of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. ' BRAC, 75 Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. ' Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. ' KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Department of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: Arsenic concentrations of tubewell water that exceed the Bangladesh Drinking Water Standard pose a serious health problem for millions of people in Bangladesh. Groundwater is the source of drinking water for 98% of the population. The main object of the study was to review the status of the provided options, which were distributed during 1999–2001 in two upazilas. It was observed that acceptability of the distributed options was not encouraging; less than 2% of the provided options were found to be in operation. However, two new approaches emerged from people|s initiatives, which are making rapid and positive contributions to safe water coverage.

Keywords: sustainable arsenic mitigation; groundwater; safe water options; people initiatives; tubewell reinstallation; Bangladesh; arsenic concentrations; drinking water; water pollution; water quality; upazilas; environmental pollution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2007.016506

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2007 Vol.31 No.3/4, pp.415 - 430

Published online: 03 Jan 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article