Arsenic crisis of Bangladesh and mitigation measures

Arsenic contamination in the shallow aquifers has created the crisis and hence 4.73 million tubewells out of a total of 8.61 million have been tested for arsenic contamination and 29% of these tested tubewells have been found to be contaminated with arsenic beyond the safe limit of Bangladesh standards. Around 81% of the inhabitants of our total villages are now affected with this poison where 27% of those are beyond the Bangladesh standards and which is responsible for the health suffering of 50 million people. This paper examines this arsenic crisis and critically identifies treatment methods and technologies used for mitigation against this crisis. The common technologies that are used to treat arsenic-contaminated water are using oxidizing agents followed by flocculation and precipitation. Research groups have used this technology and finally they have developed their own methods to suit the local environment using locally available materials. Again, alternative water supply options like deep tubewells, very shallow tubewells, pond sand filters, solar disinfection, rainwater harvesting and, in many situations, surface water treatment options are very useful to mitigate this arsenic crisis in some areas. Deep tubewells, which have been widely accepted by the communities during the past few decades in Bangladesh, emerge to be a more suitable alternative option for mitigation.