In Bangladesh the issue of arsenic pollution still remained at the stage of identification. Effective steps to prevent the pollution could not be taken till now. The work for determining the extent and severity of arsenic pollution also remained at the very preliminary stage. Virtually there is no coordination between the survey and research activities being carried out at government and non-government levels. It was found that water of same tube-well was examined several times under government and non-government initiative.

There is also lack of coordination in the survey activities of the government organizations. They are working separately. As a result, different organizations are giving different opinion ad data about various aspects of arsenic pollution, including the number of affected people, number of affected villages and number of people living at risk. Two years have already passed after arsenic issue had come into spotlight. But till now, no government organization could publish any report of integrated survey.

There are some 2-2.5 million tube-wells in the country. These are being used as source of drinking water. But not more than 25-30 thousand tube-wells were tested so far to determine arsenic contamination by all the organization engaged in arsenic related activities. So it's not possible target a comprehensive picture of arsenic pollution from the results of water testing of such less number of tube-wells.

The country do not have sufficient infrastructure facility to identify the arsenic pollution. Among the government organizations, the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) tested water extensively. But most of them were examined by field test kit which can only determine whether the water is polluted or not. It is impossible to measure the amount of arsenic in water by the field kit. there are 8 government level Laboratories in Bangladesh which are capable to test water for identifying arsenic contamination. Four of those are of DPHE, and one each of Bangladesh atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Geological survey of Bangladesh, NIPSOM and Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR). Laboratory test of hair, nail and skin-scales are very essential for identifying arsenic patients. But no laboratory of Bangladesh has necessary equipment of testing nail and skin-scales samples. The BAEC laboratory has been declared as national reference laboratory for the government program undertaken to check arsenic pollution. But it is capable to examine only hair and water samples. Moreover, there are problems in testing water in this laboratory. The BAEC laboratory can measure the amount of arsenic concentration in water. But it can not identify whether the arsenic is organic or inorganic. And if it is inorganic, whether it is trivalent or pentavalent. But it is essential to know al about the nature of arsenic to determine actual state of pollution. Because inorganic arsenic is more poisonous than organic arsenic and trivalent arsenic is more dangerous than pentavalent arsenic.

However, the government has taken a plan to improve the standard of government laboratories. A meeting of the national steering committee formed in early 1997 decided to increase the facilities of government laboratories. A decision was taken to equip the laboratories. A decision was taken to equip the laboratories of BAEC and Geological Survey of Bangladesh with modern facilities. Besides, a comprehensive laboratory will be set up in the NIPSOM> Apart from government laboratories, there are some non-government laboratories lime ICDDR,B.

The government has taken up three projects to identify, prevent and check arsenic pollution. Two of those are being implemented by the NIPSOM and the other by DPHE.

To implement the first project, the government from its own resources sanctioned Tk. 50 lakh for NIPSOM in early 1997.Under this project, the NIPSOM is conducting surveys and `providing Medicare facilities to arsenic patients at different places of the nine sectors including identification of new patients, treatment of new and patients, treatment of new and old patients, creating public awareness through media and utilizing health workers, modernization of the laboratory of NIPSOM and import of several thousand filters for making the water arsenic -free. But some quarters are expressing doubt about the effectiveness of these filters.

For the second project, UNDP has been giving financial assistance for NIPSOM. The six-month emergency program to check arsenic pollution began in end-1997. Under the project, a decision was taken to conduct extensive survey in 200 villages, supply safe drinking water in the most affected areas and determine spread of arsenic pollution, The Dhaka Community Hospital has been given the responsibility to test the water of 45000 tube-wells of these 200 villages. In November 1997, the DCH started its baseline survey activities with the help of 16 teams comprising 80 community health workers. It will identify arsenic patients, find out alternative source of drinking water and conduct several related surveys in the affected areas.

The third project is financially assisted by the UNICEF. DPHE has been working in the affected areas to test tube-well water, determine extent of arsenic pollution and arrange sources of safe drinking water. It already installed a number of deep tube wells in the country to ensure safe drinking water supply.

The DPHE has also undertaken a plan to set up arsenic treatment plants in 6 affected districts of the country. These districts are Manikganj, Sherpur, Narail, Meherpur, Sathkhira and Magura. The initiative of establishing such a treatment plant has already been taken at Meherpur district. It is hoped that the treatment plant could remove 95 percent arsenic from water. The arsenic separated from water will be preserved in a concrete tank for 50 years. Besides, under the assistance ofthe Royal Dutch government, the DPHE is implementing another drinking water supply project tilled 18 district project which is now being extended to arsenic affected areas. Some deep tube-wells are being installed under the project.

But there are debates on installation of deep tube-wells. The tube-wells in which arsenic contamination was detected at different places of the country are normally sank at the depth of 60 to 300 feet. Till now, experts did not find arsenic pollution in the deep tube-well water. There is a normal concept that arsenic contamination occur in the tube-wells sunk at less depth. But on the basis of the experiences of working in West Bengal, it was found that the fact was not true in every cases. In 1990, the West Bengal government installed 8 deep tube-wells at the depth of 450 feet in Nadia district. At the preliminary stage, arsenic was not found in the water. But later experts found that the water was contaminated with high degree of arsenic. Similarly, water of a deep tube-well sunk at the depth of 850 feet at Sherpur in South 24 Parganas district was found contaminated with high concentration of arsenic . So depth is no a determining factor, the factor is the gap of time. There is no guarantee that the water of a arsenic -free tube-well will never be found contaminated in future.

In the affected areas, NIPSOM has been distributing a packet of chemical powder used to make water arsenic-free. A local medicine company is manufacturing the powder under a WHO-approved formula. After field test, Bangladesh atomic Energy Commission approved the use of the powder. then several lakh packets of the powder were distributed in the affected areas. But question also arose on the effectiveness of the powder.

Another project, sponsored by the World Bank, to check arsenic pollution is now at the stage of formulation. In mid-August 1997, the WB officials at a press conference told here that the Bank will provide 20 million US dollars for the implementation of the project.

Arsenic poisoning occurred in the country due to unplanned and indiscriminate withdrawal of ground water. Although the huge surface water can meet all requirements if it is utilized properly. Moreover, the occurrence of rain here is sufficient. The country has 256 rivers and several thousand canals, beels sand haors. the total length of the rivers is 13700 miles. They carry 2.5 lakh million cosec water during rainy season.

In Bangladesh, the extensive use of groundwater for drinking purpose started three decades ago. Before that the people used to use surface water. Because there were a lot of wells in the country, Whereas the number of tube-wells was few. The people used to drink water of rivers, ponds and canals. Before drinking, they kept the water in pitches for whole night in order to filter it. The elements of water pollution as sediment during the whole night filtration process. Later, to avert water borne diseases like diarrhea, the people were habituated with drinking tube-well water. The public health of the country is now facing a severe threat as a section of existing tube-wells are contaminated with arsenic. Now time has come to return to our old habit. Because we can keep ourselves safe from arsenic pollution by drinking surface water.