Technical and Social Evaluation of Arsenic Mitigation in Rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Technical and social performances of an arsenic-removal technology—the sono arsenic filter—in rural areas of Bangladesh were investigated. Results of arsenic field-test showed that filtered water met the Bangladesh standard (<50 µg/L) after two years of continuous use. A questionnaire was administrated among 198 sono arsenic filter-user and 230 non-user families. Seventy-two percent of filters (n=198) were working at the time of the survey. Another 28% of the filters were abandoned due to breakage. The abandonment percentage (28%) was lower than other mitigation options currently implemented in Bangladesh. Households were reluctant to repair the broken filters on their own. High cost, problems with maintenance of filters, weak sludge-disposal guidance, and slow flow rate were the other demerits of the filter. These results indicate that the implementation approaches of the sono arsenic filter suffered from lack of ownership and long-term sustainability. Continuous use of arsenic-contaminated tubewells by the non-user households demonstrated the lack of alternative water supply in the survey area. Willingness of households to pay (about 30%) and preference of household filter (50%) suggest the need to develop a low-cost household arsenic filter. Development of community-based organization would be also necessary to implement a long-term, sustainable plan for household-based technology.

Categories and Water Quality of Artificial Water Storage Ponds in Rural Areas of Khulna, Bangladesh

“…The ponds in the villages are used for many purposes: rural domestic uses including dish washing, laundry, bathing and cooking (Sultana and Crow, 2000), wastewater storage use, agriculture use (paddy fields) especially in Rupsa and Mollahat and fishery use (prawns and fish) in Fakirhat. The village people use well water (which is partially contaminated with arsenic) for drinking and cooking (Shafiquzzaman et al, 2009). Tap and bottled water are also used in urban areas (Khulna City) where people use both pond and well water for their domestic use.…”

“…But this system also has high installation and maintenance cost (UNEP, 1998) and most of the present users of PSF are not satisfied (50% partially dissatisfied and 30% dissatisfied) with this system due to poor PSF water quality for lack of maintenance, long waiting time, long distance from home etc. (Shafiquzzaman et al, 2009;Harun and Kabir, 2013). Low cost treatment system therefore need to explore which can treat the pond water with low maintenance and affordable to the local people.…”

Developing Sustainable Models of Arsenic-Mitigation Technologies in the Middle-Ganga Plain in India

“…These include but are not limited to low arsenic removal efficiency and interference generated by iron, high sludge volume, high costs for capital, operation, maintenance and failure to remove other contaminants such as phosphate and iron present in groundwater [13][14][15] . Additionally, beneficiaries have to pay for arsenic removal filters, but most of the arsenic-mitigation technologies are not designed according to the geographical needs of the intervention areas.…”

“…Additionally, beneficiaries have to pay for arsenic removal filters, but most of the arsenic-mitigation technologies are not designed according to the geographical needs of the intervention areas. For example, rainwater harvesting units were installed in low precipitation areas 15 . The socio-economic factors of communities in arseniccontaminated areas have been found to be major players in the failure of arsenic-mitigation interventions worldwide.…”

The consolidation of deep tube well technology in safe drinking water provision: the case of arsenic mitigation in rural Bangladesh

“…Many studies (Hoque et al, 2004;Kabir and Howard, 2007;Shafiquzzaman et al, 2009;Johnston et al, 2010;Inauen et al, 2013;Hossain and Inauen, 2014) have confirmed that the deep tube well is a widely preferred technology in rural Bangladesh, with an emphasis on its social acceptability and technical performance. There is still a need, however, to analyse the dominance of the deep tube well within the broader context of technological innovation and diffusion stimulated by the onset of the arsenic crisis.…”