Bangladesh Water Supply Program Project (BWSPP)

Deployment of four chemical based arsenic removal technology by BAMWSP 

Arsenic contaminated areas of Bangladesh demand a rapid and widespread response that builds and strengthens local government institutions capable of meeting this challenge in the longer term. The initiatives have so far been made only to provide alternate safe options i.e. tubewell, Dug wells, Pond Sand Filter and Rain Water Harvesters.  Chemical based technology can also be an effective option to treat contaminated water.

The government of Bangladesh has approved and provided provisional certificates to four chemical based technologies. These options have been validated by BCSIR. These Chemical based options are: MAGC/ALCAN, READ-F, SONO 45-25 and SIDKO.

Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation water supply project has taken initiative to deploy these options in the arsenic affected areas by involving Local government Institutions i.e. The Union Parishads.

To assist in this process, the Union Parishad will formulate and implement the water schemes based on chemical based arsenic removal technologies. Initially, these chemical technological options will be provided to the clustered households on a pilot basis.

Based on the impact and the use of these tested chemical technological options, these will then be made available to the community for their use from among the selected chemical technological options recommended by Government of Bangladesh for supply of arsenic-safe water.

The objectives of deploying chemical based options involving LGI’s are to:

ü        Harness the potential of the hot-spot communities and building local government institutions to deal with the problem of providing cluster-household level chemical based arsenic removal technological options.

ü        Study the acceptance level and other social aspects of these chemical based arsenic removal technologies.

ü         Draw recommendations of the use of these chemical based arsenic removal technological options.

Hot Spot areas of Haziganj and Gazaria Upazilas where more than 80% tubewells in the villages are found contaminated will be taken up on a pilot basis under the chemical based arsenic removal technology program.

A total of 160 numbers of chemical based options will be provided in these two Upazilas. The deployment of these chemical based options is in process.