Arsenic awareness creation

An estimated 20-30 million people consume water with arsenic concentrations above 0.05 mg/L (Ground Water Studies for Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh, 2000) and are under risk of arsenic poisoning and adverse impact on health. With the huge number of people at risk and the widespread nature of the arsenic contamination (excess amounts of arsenic in tube-wells have been detected in 53 out of 64 Districts in Bangladesh), effective community participation is reckoned as a pre-requisite for a sustained arsenic mitigation program. To test promising arsenic mitigation treatment technologies (Rahman et al., 2000), the DPHE-Danida Arsenic Mitigation Pilot Project selected 4,000 families in the fringe areas of Chaumuhani and Lakshmipur Pourashavas in the coastal region of Bangladesh. In these Pilot Areas the Project employed and trained local women to carry out a Baseline survey, to conduct an intensive awareness creation campaign, to create demand for arsenic mitigation and to install and train the users in the operation of the DPHEDanida developed Bucket Treatment Unit (BTU) technology.