Arsenic: 2 lakh in Matlab at risk

This was revealed by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) following a survey conducted in 2002-'03.

According to the survey, 504 have been confirmed to be arsenic affected through skin manifestation. One lakh and 66 thousand people above five years of age have been diagnosed from two lakh and 20 thousand people under surveillance in 142 villages, ICDDR, B senior scientist Dr Mohammad Yunus told this correspondent.

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Water samples of 12,000 tube-wells in the affected area have been tested and waters of 7,000 tube-wells contained above 50-microgram of arsenic per litre of water, Head of Matlab Health Research Programme Dr Yunus disclosed this.

About 1,260 tube-wells are arsenic contaminated which goes above 500-microgramin per litre of water while about 60 percent of tube-wells exceeded the permissible limit.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has fixed a recommended value of 0.01 miligram arsenic per litre of water.

ICDDR, B has requested the inhabitants of Matlab to use surface water which includes pond water and rainwater. The international organisation is also subsidising the villagers to use pond-sand filter for the purpose.