By drinking arsenic-contaminated water there has been incidences of lung, liver and bladder cancers. Females exposed to arsenic for long time are exhibiting 60 times higher mortality from respiratory diseases than normal. Skin cancers also appear later in life. In Bangladesh affected people show ghastly crusts on their palms and feet, skin lesions, and cancers.
Presently the shallow tube wells are affected, although in a few cases wells below 300 meters had arsenic above acceptable levels.MAAWS has been actively advocating for expanding the coverage of safe water. Or should it attempt to manage the likely outcome of arsenic poisoning?
FINDING A SOLUTION:
MAAWS found a middle way to deal with the situation. MAAWS began spearheading testing and inspection of all its existing tube-wells. MAAWS is trying to focus on issues like:• What is the extent and severity of the problem in Earpur, Senbagh & Noakhali? • Why this happened? • How can this be addressed? • How can non-resident Bangladeshi's (NRB's) help?
MAAWS would like a rapid implementation & a reasonably appropriate water treatment technology.
We are using two main approaches to address the problem.
One is tapping sources of arsenic-free water. Using of arsenic-free surface water is another option. However, this water contains pathogens and must be treated. Rainwater harvesting has been done in our area but is not as simple and easy process.
Think about us 150,000sq. miles and arsenic affected 140 million people….
Raise awareness to the arsenic problem
MAAWS would like a rapid implementation & a reasonably appropriate water treatment technology.
We are using two main approaches to address the problem.One is tapping sources of arsenic-free water. Using of arsenic-free surface water is another option. However, this water contains pathogens and must be treated. Rainwater harvesting has been done in our area but is not as simple and easy process.
Think about us 150,000sq. miles and arsenic affected 140 million people….
A sustainable Bangladesh should enable all citizens to meet their own needs and enhance their well being. We are now faced with a great environmental crisis: Arsenic contamination. Polluted water sources, rivers, lakes and our ocean shrinking the natural water sources. Striking a practical balance between exploitation and conservation to create a sustainable future is the need of the hour.
Raise awareness to the arsenic problem
These satellite images reflect the widespread effect of Arsenic. The use of water per person ranges from 4Lt in arid areas to 425 Lt. a day in water abundant wealthy regions. With ever increasing demand for pure drinking water, it causes us to look more closely on the amount of pure drinking water we get everyday and the impact of that water on the quality of our lives as it serves our daily needs. Prior to 1970 people of Bangladesh were using surface water for drinking with the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 situation changed.
UN agencies and other agencies started to sink shallow tube wells for drinking water to save the country from water borne diseases. Within three decades as the water layers lowered came the problem of arsenic. Although the arsenic-contamination of groundwater has been declared a national disaster, its seriousness is yet to be fully comprehended. Water samples have indicated that arsenic-contamination is "prominent" in the shallow aquifers. Most people draw their supply of water from this source.
There is yet another dimension. Damming of the rivers upstream. The bottom line is that water diversion constructions are the worst tampering mechanisms of natural water courses on which rest the beautiful balance of Nature. These mechanisms create imbalanced in Nature. Twisting beyond the elastic limits, certainly backfires.
UN agencies and other agencies started to sink shallow tube wells for drinking water to save the country from water borne diseases. Within three decades as the water layers lowered came the problem of arsenic. Although the arsenic-contamination of groundwater has been declared a national disaster, its seriousness is yet to be fully comprehended. Water samples have indicated that arsenic-contamination is "prominent" in the shallow aquifers. Most people draw their supply of water from this source.
There is yet another dimension. Damming of the rivers upstream. The bottom line is that water diversion constructions are the worst tampering mechanisms of natural water courses on which rest the beautiful balance of Nature. These mechanisms create imbalanced in Nature. Twisting beyond the elastic limits, certainly backfires.
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