Arsenic alarming in 195 B'baria villages

Booming trade in water... Arsenic-free water purchased at Tk 5 per Jerrycan is being taken from the treatment plant at Nabinagar upazila headquarter. PHOTO: STAR

In 58 of the villages, there is no tube well free from arsenic.

The serious contamination is now a health hazard, with 154 people suffering from arsenicosis, a virtually incurable silent killer disease, according to the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Brahmanbaria.

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But health officials in other government departments claim that the number of arsenicosis patients is 216. The number is increasing, they said.

Arsenic damages kidney, liver, skin and nerves system and leads to death gradually.

The DPHE in a recent survey found that 23663 out of 28068 tube wells in the upazila are contaminated with high percentage of arsenic.

The survey identified 34 villages as worst affected.

DPHE field officials have marked the affected tube wells with red colour and asked people not to use those.

But finding no alternative, people are drinking arsenic contaminated water from red-marked tube wells.

According to the DPHE survey report, arsenic contaminated water is found only at a depth of 30 feet.

The DPHE has installed 11 ring tube wells in different areas of the upazila and has a plan to install 125 deep tube wells. But work on the plan is progressing at a snail's speed due to lack of funds, its officials said.

The government's Arsenic Mitigation Project and UNICEF are working on a project to store rainwater for supply to people in worst affected villages.

When contacted, DPHE Executive Engineer Fajlul Haque said he has received a report on arsenic problem in Naibnagar and has taken a plan to mitigate the problem.

Meanwhile, trade on arsenic-free water has become a booming business in view of the crisis of pure drinking water.

A trade association--Ashar Alo Bebosaye Samati--has set up a treatment plant at Nabinagar upazila headquarter and selling 6000 letres of water a day at the rate of Tk 5 per bucket. But this is too inadequate to the demand.