During the arsenic survey in Bangladesh (21st Dec 1997- 6th Jan 1998) Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), Dhaka and School of Environmental Studies (SOES), Jadavpur University, Kolkata surveyed Eruani village with the medical team and analyzed 110 water samples collected from the village. All of them contained arenic above 50 ìg/L while 40% had arsenic above 300 ìg/L (at this concentration we expect patients with skin lesions if ingested for a couple of years) with the highest concentration recorded at 2160 ìg/L. Villagers’ replies to our questionnaire revealed that there is little awareness about the different aspects of arsenic toxicity among them.

In this circumstances creating awareness among the villagers about problems of arsenic, use of alternate safe water options like dugwell, deep tubewells, rainwater harvesting, proper water shed management to utilize surface water, role of better nutrition, and above all active participation of people from all the strata of society including women in the struggle against arsenic menace hold the key for eradication of this deadly poison.

Reprinted from The School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India