The Daily Star  November 29, 2003  

              National



                        'Dangerous limits' of deadly arsenic in Barisal

                        All 5040 shallow tube wells contaminated, 202 
                        arsenicosis patients in Babuganj
                        Our Correspondent, Barisal

                        Investigations have belied earlier presumption that the 
                        southern districts and coastal areas are free from 
                        arsenic contamination of groundwater due to higher 
                        percentage of salinity in water.
                        The rate of deadly arsenic is "dangerously high" in 
                        groundwater in Babuganj, Uzirpur and Mehendiganj 
                        upazilas, 
                        The situation in Babuganj is the worst where all the 
                        5040 shallow and four of the 1220 deep tube wells in 44 
                        villages have been found contaminated with "dangerous 
                        percenatge" of arsenic, according to Barisal regional 
                        office of the NGO Forum. 
                        Six persons have died from arsenicosis and more 202 are 
                        suffering from the disease, one third of them in "serous 
                        condition", the sources said. 
                        The dead are Renu Begum of Kedarpur, Azahar Ali 
                        Howlader, Jafarali Howlader, Salim Hawlader, Joynal 
                        Akand and Vanu Begum of Rahamatpur villages.
                        Partner organizations of the NGO Forum are trying to 
                        ensure safe drinking water for the people of Babuganj 
                        upazila. 
                        For this, 82 Rain Water Harvesting System Plants, 12 
                        Pond Sand Filter Plants, three Arsenic Iron Removal 
                        Plants, one Dug Well and one Community Rain Water 
                        Harvesting System Plant are being constructed in 
                        Babuganj under the Arsenic Mitigation Project, they 
said.
                        But this is a drop in the ocean. There should be allout 
                        efforts by NGOs and the government under a comprehensive 
                        plan to supply arsenic-free drinking water in all the 
                        villages in the district, they said. Otherwise, the 
                        situation may tun catastrophic, they said.