Item 6 Sept 15th , 2000 Discovery of arsenic-free aquifer a ray of hope for people by Special Correspondent Though it many

sound incredible, the discovery of arsenic-free aquifer at a shallow depth of 40-60 feet have brought a ray of hope in the minds of the people of Alamdanga upazila, one of the worst arsenic-affected areas in the country. The existing hand tubewells, in Alamdanga, sunk 160 to 180 feet deep to get iron-free water, are all contaminated by arsenic. Instead of discarding those or fruitlessly asking people to refrain from using their water, they are being re-sunk at shallow depths and the success rate of striking arsenic-free water is 75 per cent. The intake of arsenic-free water from re-sunk tubewells and nutritious food have not only arrested the rate of the attack by arsenicosis, but also helped the arsenicosis patients to get rid of skin rashes. Smile has returned to the faces of the 116 villagers of Benagazi, who four years ago were planning to resettle elsewhere not only to escape death but also to get rid of the social stigma for which they were having difficulty to have marital bonds with people of other villages. The residents of this worst affected village in Kushtia where eight out of the districts 12 arsenic-related deaths took place, now dream again. The remarkable development is based on the results of a 4-year research privately conducted by Dr. Hafizur Rahman, a former hydrologist of the Water Development Board at Village Bengazi where eight out of 116 people died of arsenic poisoning, and 36 others were suffering from arsenic contamination-related complications. ABM Ismail, Deputy Commissioner of Chuadanga, and chief advisor to Dr. Rahmans Arsenicosis Mitigation Pilot Project (AMPP) said the existing tubewells of Alamdanga are being re-sunk at the rate of one everyday. Three other upazilas in his district are free from arsenic contamination, he said. Dr. Hafizur Rahman who hails from a village in the same locality chose the remote Benagazi for his research and has so far spent only Taka 7000 directly into the project. When one tubewell re-sunk by him gave arsenic free water, he local administration arranged re-sinking of six other hand tubewells in the village. All those are now giving arsenic-free water. Dr. Rahman said he is not opposed to the use of sand filters where they are needed, but a policy of discarding all tubewells marked red for being arsenic contaminated would be a huge national loss. His finding runs contrary to the commonly held notion that deeper aquifers are arsenic-free. Geologists at a recent meeting recommended the sinking of tubewells at depths of 150 metres or more as an option to supply safe drinking water to the people. Replying to a query Dr. Rahman said he tested water of the tubewells with kits

supplied by the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) and the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) on a regular basis. The Deputy Commissioner of Chuadanga said they were also using an indigenous method of testing water by putting smashed guava leaves. ABM Islam said he had discussed the success of the re-sinking of tubewells with nine DCs of the Khulna division in presence of the Commissioner of the Division. The DC of Magura has reported that they have struck arsenic-free water at a depth of 45-60 feet. Arsenic contamination has affected about 50 per cent areas of Bangladesh, is considered the worst case of mass poisoning in history. (The Independent )###