Aklima khatun resided at village Nawdapara in Pabna district. She died of arsenic related disease. Mukhter is her eight-year old son. He also waiting to embrace the death not only Mukhter, his father and step mother have also been attacked by arsenic poisoning. Both of them are now seriously ill. In fact, the entire family going to perish. Doctors examined them. /they also went to Kabiraj and homeopath physicians without any result. Finally, they sought blessing of a peer (spiritual leader). It is not necessary to mention that his blessing could do nothing.

Three brothers in the same district-Belal, Helal and Mosharraf aged 16, 20 and 28 respectively-have been attacked by arsenicosis. And also their father Makbul Biswas. They are now at a critical stage. No treatment could bring recovery for them.

Runa hails from village Samta in Jessore district. She had all kins- mother, father, brother and sister- and also a happy family. But they are not alive. Runa is now alone. She lost every one. All of her family members died of cancer caused by arsenic poisoning.

Aktaruzzaman resides at Nalgari village in the district of Pabna. His mother, elder brother, Bhabi (sister -in -law), and Bhabi's father, sister and niece died of arsenicosis.

The tragic stories don't end here. These are only a few of the total reality. Many similar stories are publishing at newspaper. 

Discussion about arsenic in Bangladesh is a very recent phenomenon. In fact, arsenic was out of the from some "unknown and mysterious" diseases for long. Their skins were becoming rough and black and palms and soles hard. Besides, they were being affected by infection, gangrene and skin cancer. The reasons behind the diseases could not be detected. As a result, a large number of people were thought to be attacked by leprosy. People started boycotting them socially. Only in 1996, press reports revealed that the cause of the disease is arsenic. Poisonous arsenic is coming with the tube-wells water. People are being suffered by various diseases by drinking water contaminated with high concentration of arsenic. And the contamination has been taking place for a long time. Following last two years newspaper reports, it is now clear that Bangladesh is stepping into a near disaster due to arsenic contamination in groundwater.

Bangladesh is the country of poorest of the poor. But it had a special dignity that it was able to ensure safe drinking water to the majority of the people. UNICEF termed it as a big success of the country. On the contrary, press reports, survey disclosures and experts opinion revealed that the considering it as safe. People are taking the wear considering it s safe. But at the same time, they are also receiving arsenic which is known as 'king of the poison.' Millions of tube-wells were set up throughout the rural and urban areas to ensure safe drinking water. But contaminated water is now coming out through the tube-wells. Experts think that frequent and heavy withdrawal of groundwater is the main cause of arsenic contamination.
 

Government kept it Secret

Violent discussion about arsenic began in Bangladesh in 1996. But the concerned agencies of the government knew it much earlier. They kept it as a secret for mysterious reasons. One logic is shown in this regard. That is people would have been panicked if the news of arsenic contamination was disclosed. The disastrous picture of arsenic pollution would have been aerated for many more days, had not the newspapers and Dhaka Community Hospital Come forward

Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) is responsible to to supply safe drinking water. It was aware about arsenic contamination in the western districts of the country since 1993 or before. The DPHE collected water samples from 33 tube-wells in western. region in September, 1993. Laboratory analysis found arsenic level more than WHO recommended value (0.01 mg/l) in 13 samples. DPHE had also closed two tube-wells in Nawabganj as concentration of arsenic was very high. A "committee for Reviewing the situation of Arsenic in Drinking water in Bangladesh" was formed in May, 1994. Director General of Health Services was made chairman of the committee. Representatives from NIPSOM, DPHE, Atomic Energy Commission, Geological Survey of Bangladesh and other concerned organizations were included in the committee. And also representative from UNICEF was included. The committee decided to conduct a facts finding survey. Accordingly the survey detected high concentration of arsenic in four tube-wells in Nawabganj. Some patients with chronic arsenicosis were detected in the district. The committee identified 8 frontier districts as affected by arsenic contamination. It was estimated that 10 million people of these districts the near two years. The disastrous news also remained out of public.

Earlier, experts of West Bangladesh cautioned deferent government bodies in Bangladesh as well as WHO and UNICEF that a vast area of Bangladesh might be affected by arsenic. In West Bengal, arsenic was first detected in 1978. Later different survey revealed presence of high level of arsenic in groundwater in a vast area of these Bangladesh frontier Indian state. Dr. Dipankar Chakraborty, Director of School of Environmental Studies ( SOES) of Jadavpur University in Calcutta in 1994 wrote letters, to an organization of Bangladesh government and representatives of WHO and UNICEF. In the letters, he apprehended of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. Dr. Chakraborty is a pioneer in detecting arsenic in West Bengal and has been working with the issue for about a decade.

Dipankar Chakraborty apprehended of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh for two reasons. The first was geological. A vast area of Bangladesh has a geological similarity with arsenic contaminated areas in West Bengal. The West Bengal polluted areas are lying of the sediment of Younger Deltaic Deposition ( YDD). The same sediment extended eastward towards Bangladesh. For this reason, arsenic contamination like West Bengal is also likely in Bangladesh Besides, Groundwater is also likely in Bangladesh for drinking and also for irrigation. Second reason. Some patients from Bangladesh went to Calcutta for treatment, who were carrying symptom of arsenicosis. Many such patients were admitted in different hospitals in Calcutta. SOES Director Dr. Chakraborty found a arsenic patient at Govindapur village in North 24 Parganas district. She was wife of one Sunil Mallik. Chakraborty was astonished as none of Mallik's family or neighbor had such arsenic symptom. presence of arsenic in their tube-wells were also in safe level. Later he came to know that before her marriage, Mrs. Mallik resided in Satkhira in Bangladesh and she was affected by arsenic at that time. Mr. Mallik informed that her mother and some neighbors living in Bangladesh had also been suffering from such disease. Long before, several other arsenic patients also took admission in Calcutta hospitals. Prof KC Saha said he provided treatment to some arsenic patients going form Khulna in Bangladesh, when he was working as Head of Dermatology at School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta in 1987.

Elaborating geological similarity and treatment of Bangladeshi patients, the SOES had warned Bangladesh government, WHO and UNICEF about arsenic contamination in the country. But their activities doesn't prove that they had took the matter seriously. SOES had apprehended of presence of arsenic in 34 districts after reviewing the formation of the soil of India and Bangladesh. These districts are Nawabganj, Raishahi, Natore, Pabna, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Dhaka, Narayanganj, Comilla, Feni, Luxmipur, Noakhali, Chandpur, Bhola, Patuakhali, Borguna, Jhalkathi, Barishal, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Jessore, Narail, Magura, Jhenaidaha, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Kushtia, Rajbari, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Madaripur and Shariatpur. Bad news is that the SOES apprehension became true later. Surveys in 1996 and 97 detect high presence of arsenic in 30 districts, out of 34.

SOES, in February, 1995 organized an international seminar in Calcutta on causes of arsenic contamination in Groundwater, its affect and remedy. Possibility of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh like West Bengal were highly discussed in the seminar. Some representatives of Bangladesh government organizations, including NIPSOM, took part in it. But, again no government step was seen one and half year after the seminar.
 

Preparations to Fight Arsenic

The issue of arsenic contamination was considered as an important one in government activities at the fag end of 1996. Considering wide extent of the contamination, the government announced it as a national health problem. An inter-ministerial meeting to review the overall situation was held on October 7, 1996. The meeting, with Health Minister in the chair, formed three committees to measure the real condition of arsenic contamination in groundwater and also to mitigate it.

A National Steering Committee was formed to mitigate the prevailing arsenical problems in Bangladesh and monitor and guide the activities in this respect. Health Ministered is the Chairman of the Committee while a Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry is the Member Secretary. The members of the committee are: Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries for the ministries of Health, Local Government, water Resources, Education, Science and Technology, Director Generals of the Health Services, Environment Department and Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Chairman's of Atomic Energy Commission, Rural Electrification Board, Chief Engineer of DPHE, Director of NIPSOM, Managing Director of Dhaka WASA, Country Representative of WHO and head of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health of NIPSOM.

A scientific research committee was also formed to identify the causes for arsenic contamination in groundwater and other related matters. Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission is the Chairman of the Committee and Head of Occupational and Environmental Health Department of NIPSOM is the Member Secretary. The members are: Director Generals of water Development Board, Environment Department, Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Chief Engineer of DPHE and Director of primary Healthcare Division of the Health Services. Activities of the committee also included setting up laboratories in national and zonal levels for analyzing of water and soil, identifying alternative source of safe drinking water in the arsenic affected areas, examining effectiveness of domestic purification filters and evaluating the impact of surface water of human health and transmission of diseases.

The third. committee is the arsenic Technical committee. It was formed after the Committee for Reviewing the Situation of Arsenic in Drinking water in Bangladesh had been cancelled. Director General of the Health Services is the Chairman of the 15-member Technical Committee. Head of the NIPSOM's Occupational and Environmental Health Department was made Member Secretary of the Committee. Members from representatives of the DPHE, Geological Survey of Bangladesh, NIPSOM, Department of Environment, Atomic Energy Commission, BUET, Dhaka University, WHO and UNICEF are included in the committee. There Technical Groups were also formed under the Committee. Those are: Health Hazard Group, water Analysis and Alternate water Supply Group and Source of Arsenic Contamination Detection Group The activities of the Technical Committee included identifying the extent of arsenic contamination by conducting surveys throughout the country, providing training for doctors and health workers on arsenic, identifying arsenic patients, formulating appropriate remedial measures for the solution of arsenical problems, conducting field-level research on effect of arsenic of human health and environment and creating mass awareness about arsenic.
 

Government Action Plan

To control the pollution before it becomes unmanageable the following strategies have been taken by the government:

1. Early detection and treatment of affected population

2. Development of appropriate alternative water supply options

3. Delineation of affected areas and detection of source of arsenic contamination

4. Development of awareness about the problems associated with arsenic contamination in drinking water

Short Term Activities

1. Identification of the population exposed to arsenic contaminated water by sample survey

2. identification of Arsenicosis clinically

3. Treatment and follow up of the arsenic cases

4. Providing arsenic free water to the affected people as an immediate measure by supplying arsenic removal domestic filter, installation of water of pond, river or dug-well, or adding alum in water (removes 60% -70% arsenic)

5. Strengthening of laboratory facilities for detection of arsenic toxicity particularly in human tissues

6. Training program for health personnel and local doctors (Medical officer, Medical Technologist and other field personnel) and undertake nation-wide survey

7. Develop appropriate educational and communication materials to create awareness of people regarding the effects and remedies of water contamination

8. Development several outpatient treatment center

9. Development of collaborative linkage with National and International Agencies.

Long Term Activities

1. Identification of source of arsenic contamination and its remedial measures

2. Development of a surveillance team and arsenic network from grass-root level to central level for identification, of water

3. Establishment of facilities for 10 bedded in patient service at central level and at affected districts for management of the complicated cases and for conducting research on Arsenicosis

4. Nation-wide training of doctors and health personnel to develop skill manpower

5. Development of appropriate measures for providing arsenic free water.

6. Water-shed management and encouragement of people to use more surface water

7. Involvement of mass media and development of information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for awareness of the people