The Daily Star November 12, 1997 Arsenic pollution spreading fast Arsenic pollution has been spreading in the districts of Pabna and Jessore very fast. Our Pabna Correspondent says: Arsenic pollution has been spreading in different thanas of Pabna district. Very recently, it was detected in Pabna pourasabha. Several patients have been affected by drinking arsenic polluted water from a number of tubewells. The Civil Surgeon of Pabna disclosed this recently while talking to The Daily Star correspondent recently. The Civil Surgeon further said that already four thanas out of nine in Pabna district have been affected by arsenic pollution. These are: Pabna Sadar, Ishurdi, Bera and Santhia. The Civil Surgeon further disclosed that during the year 1997, at least 11 persons died and 200 others attacked with various incurable diseases caused by drinking arsenic polluted tubewell water. Out of the total 200 patients, 40 were under treatment in different hospitals. The Civil Surgeon stated out of 11 dead victims, four belonged to the same family and all of them hailed from Paksey Paper Mills area under Ishurdi thana. The dead victims are: Fazlu, 34, son of Mozibar Rahman, Baby, 25, wife of late Fazlur, Kanak, 12, son of late Fazlu and Jahan Ara Begum, 25, daughter of Mujibar Rahman. They belong to the same family and residents of village Nalgari adjacent to North Bengal Paper Mills, Paksey. Besides, Tara Banoo, 26, wife of Moksed Ali, 45, son of Fakir Ali, Tashima Begum, 28, wife of Atiar Rahman, Abul Hossain, 25, of village Beelkada, Hamid Ali, 50, Hasi Begum, 15, and Moslem Uddin Bhegal, 35, of Char Ruppur under Paksey union of Ishurdi thana also fell victims. Water of those tubewells contained arsenic above 0.05 mg per litre as against the safe quantum of 0.001 mg per litre. The Civil Surgeon stated that recently, during the month of October, four patients were attacked with diseases caused by arsenic pollution. They were detected from Arifpur and Salgaria areas - both under the Pabna pourasabha. The patients were: Jahan Ara Begum, 35, wife of Imran Ali, Hazera Parveen, 15, daughter of Imran Ali Joarder and Bilquis, 10, daughter of Said Imran Ali of Arifpur. Besides, one Masud Rana, 25, son of Kamiruddin of Salgaria under Pabna pourasabha was also found to have been attacked with diseases caused by arsenic pollution. In Ishurdi thana health complex, according to the same source, 32 patients of arsenic pollution related diseases were being treated. All of them were inhabitants of villages surrounding the North Bengal Paper Mills of Paksey. Out of them, 17 hailed from village Beelkada, 12 from village Char Ruppur and three from Paksey railway colony. The Civil Surgeon expressed his apprehension that excessive arsenic pollution in the water of tubewells surrounding the North Bengal Paper Mills might have been caused due to waste of the mills. Meanwhile, NIPSOM and Public Health Engineering Department have tested samples of water from over 200 tubewells, out of which 30 tubewells were found to contain arsenic above the standard level and all these tubewells were already sealed by PHED. Meanwhile, doctors in Pabna have expressed doubts that arsenic pollution might spread to the other thanas of the district but no agency has yet come forward to test of tubewell water in the remaining thanas. Our Jessore Correspondent says: 4,000 people out of 5,000 villagers of Samta village under Sharsha thana in the district are suffering from diseases, caused by arsenic pollution in drinking water for the last 10 years. The number of affected people is increasing following its steady extension to new areas. Failure by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) to control arsenic, is worsening the situation. According to statistical report, 15 people of the village have already died of disease caused by arsenic pollution. They include Yusuf, Daud, Hossain Nahar, Osman, Lalan, Ansar, Satter Sonabhan, Meherunnesa, Ayub, Shamsu, and Hosen. According to another report 33 are awaiting the tragic end of their life in the same village. They are Liton, Sona, Amirul, Habibor, Sahidul, Abdul Sorder, Aklima Jahanara, Jobed Ali, Monzurul Huq, Sakhina, Siraj, Rahima, Achia, Abdul Aziz, Selim Reza, Yasmin Rabeya, Jinnat Ali, Safura, Runa Tuhin, Unus, Arjina, Asadul, Zia, Anisur, Anwar, Azizur, Rabiul, Sahida, Moslem, Rokeya and Nuruzzaman. Acting on a media report, a 20-member team of specialists on arsenic, poisoning, from Japan came on a survey to this village on October 10 last. Not to speak of Samta, presence of arsenic was found in the drinking water of other neighbouring villages during the survey. Dr Dipankar Chakravarty of Jadabpur University collected nails, skin and urine of 334 people of the villages for examination. During examination it has been found that 95 per cent of the nails contain arsenic poison. 97 per cent have been found containing the arsenic germs by testing urine of 301 people. 256 tubewells out of 279, have also been detected containing arsenic and users have been advised to boycott water of those tubewells. NIPSOM has already distributed water purifying tablets among 248 families. It is reported, a number of NGOs are working at this village, but so far they could not play any effective role to bring change the growth of arsenic. Lack of water-testing laboratory in the area, in deepening the crisis. PHED has found out layer in under ground water containing low-percentage of arsenic. It is within acceptable limit. The acceptable limit of arsenic is 0.05 mili gram while presence of arsenic in this area is 1.0 mg to 3.0 mg. Arsenic leads to pigmentation of skin, keratosis, anaemia, respiratory disorders, hepatitis, pain in abdomen and, ultimately causing cancer. According to a source, arsenic problem is restricted to Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Bagerhat and Khulna districts falling in the delta region. It also goes beyond West Bengal also. If tubewells are sunk in this village in massive quantity and the layer goes below 700 feet the danger of arsenic may be avoided and people can be supplied arsenic free water. When contacted the local member of the parliament Tabibur Rahman Sarder, urged the government to install at least 100 deep tubewells in the village to save the people from arsenic.