Arsenic-free water for rural India

Source: WaterLink International

High levels of arsenic in the groundwater in areas of northeast India and Bangladesh are a recognised public health problem. However, the Isolux Technologies Division of MEL Chemicals, Inc. teamed up with an Indian engineering firm in 2009 to supply 39 arsenic treatment systems customised to the requirements of rural Indian villages.

Water supply in rural northeast areas of India and neighbouring Bangladesh is usually a single source of water for each village. Rural villagers, often lacking electric power, rely on this common village well as their only source of drinking water. If this well has a high level of arsenic, the entire village suffers. Instances of disease related to long-term arsenic exposure are relatively common.

For many years, the typical village water source was surface water (generally a lake or river). The waterborne diseases typical of untreated surface water were common. In the 1970s and 1980s, with funding from a number of international aid groups, millions of tube wells (typically of the order 100 feet deep) were drilled to provide what was thought to be a clean water source for rural villagers. Unfortunately for the villagers, in many cases one type of illness was simply traded for another. By the 1990s, it was recognised that the aquifer underlying most of northeast areas of India and neighbouring Bangladesh is high in naturally occurring arsenic. Arsenic levels in excess of 100 ppb are relatively common. The result is that millions of people in this area now exhibit the symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning: skin lesions, neurological disorders and cancers.

Governmental agencies and various aid groups have struggled to find an adequate solution to the problem for years. Drilling deeper wells (of about 1000 feet) will avoid the arsenic contaminated aquifer, but this is too expensive and time-consuming to be a universal solution. Most of the treatment technologies common in the US are not applicable because of their relatively sophisticated control systems and occasional backwashing requirement.

The Isolux Technologies Division of MEL Chemicals, Inc. has developed Isolux technology for arsenic removal using its patented zirconium hydroxide media. MEL Chemicals, Inc. has been producing zirconium chemicals at its facility in Flemington, NJ for over 50 years. In combination with its British affiliate, MEL Chemicals, Ltd, it is the world's largest producer of zirconium chemicals. In addition to being NSF Standard 61 certified, Isolux technology has a number of advantages that make it a possible solution for rural villages in India: (1) it does not require backwashing or ‘fluffing' of the media bed; (2) it does not use any external controls; (3) all of its systems are designed around a cartridge replacement concept (cartridges can easily be replaced by an unskilled person in less than an hour); and (4) Isolux's 20-gpm unit which holds four arsenic removal cartridges appears to be an ideal size for most village wells.

In late 2008, the Indian State of Bihar awarded a contract to DNA Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd (an Indian engineering company) for arsenic treatment systems for a number of rural villages. DNA Infrastructure approached Isolux to provide their 20-gpm units for this project. Between the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, a total of 39 rural villages in the Indian state of Bihar were provided with an arsenic-free drinking water source using Isolux technology combined with a solar-electric powered well pump.

Despite years of effort and many projects including that described here, the problem of arsenic contaminated groundwater in northeast India and Bangladesh remains one of the world's most severe public health crises. As a US company, MEL Chemicals has found that it is almost impossible to independently develop and implement projects in India or in most Asian countries. Differences in language, customs and business practices are very difficult to surmount, particularly when dealing with a relatively new technology such as arsenic adsorption. The key to success is to find a local partner such as DNA Infrastructure who can provide the bridge to successfully resolve the problem.
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An appeal

Pakistan: adding insult to tragedy

The Flood affected communities are struggling for their survival. Their habitats have been destroyed, they have lost their livelihood. In such circumstances in the patriarchal societies adolescent girls do not get proper attention to fulfill their specific needs, they are ignored by the Humanitarian support programs and even local philanthropists as their needs are not taken as an important issue. Diarrhea and other water related diseases are very common, the water has become contaminated, access to safe sanitation lacks.

The young women and adolescent girls have little access to nutritious food. This program is focusing on these specific issues of young women. This program will supplement the ongoing support programs by UN agencies and other Support Programs in the area.


AWARE GIRS is membership Organization and it has membership from the flood affected areas. The members from the target area have asked the organization to work for addressing the specific needs of the young and adolescents women. AWARE GIRLS is young women led organization working for the rights and development of young women of the Province. The young women can feel the sufferings and problems of young women. AWARE GIRLS has already worked for Internally displaced Young women by providing them support KITS, raising voice for Gender Cluster, and developing Research Report for Mainstreaming Gender in Humanitarian work in the North Western Pakistan.

In the Gender neutral relief, rehabilitation efforts the specific needs of Adolescents Girls are ignored such that the use of unhygienic cloth for sanitary purpose during menses period may cause of spread of further diseases among the affected population. The young women have a little access to the relief and support provided by the Relief organizations because of patriarchal culture.
There is an urgent need to move from gender blindness to gender sensitivity in helping the victims of this disaster. it is imperative to ensure that a gender perspective is included in the disaster management programs so that the relief efforts are able to properly address Young women’s needs such that;

* Fulfilling women specific requirements, such as sanitary pads /towels and clean white cloth and underwear,

· Providing Contraceptives, blankets and clothes,

· Toiletries: toilet rolls, soaps, shampoo, Towels,

· Nutritional supplements (multi vitamins, iron etc)

· Clean drinking water

· Ware cleaning tablets

We have developed a KIT fulfilling these specific needs of young women. One KIT Costs 30 USD. We are Generating resources to approach 5,000 Young women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and fulfil their needs.

Gulalai Ismail
Chairperson
AWARE GIRLS
aware_girls@yahoo.com
www.awaregirls.webs.com

Officials of five districts put on alert

Sunday, August 08, 2010

By Jan Khaskheli

Karachi

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has reportedly put district administrations of Kashmore, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Sukkur and Dadu on alert to keep a watchful eye on the raging flood at Guddu which may cause a breach near the Ghauspur embankment anytime.

“We have asked DCOs from Kashmore to Dadu to put the officials concerned on alert to deal with any situation efficiently. It may be the worst situation,” said a PDMA spokesman.

According to the PDMA official, the water level at Taunsa was 950,000 cusecs which will remain the same in the next three days. “The next three days are very crucial and may cause devastation in Sindh,” he said.

Mohammed Younus Marri from Kashmore told The News that presently three main towns — Old Ghauspur, New Ghauspur and Karampur — and the adjoining villages were under threat and the inhabitants were being evacuated on a war-footing. He said that in case of a breach, Kandhkot and parts of Shikarpur district might be affected by the flood.

He said that continuous rain has affected the evacuation process and relief work in Kashmore and Ghotki districts and other areas.

Government officials claimed that minor leakages in the embankments were understandable because the floodwater has touched the muddy walls after a period of 15 years.

Ishaque Meerani, who was monitoring rescue activities in Kashmore, said that the rising water pressure at the Torhi Bungalow embankment near Kandhkot caused a minor breach, which was being plugged. He said that while he was travelling from Guddu to Torhi Bungalow embankment, he saw hundreds of families crying for food, as they had received nothing so far from the government or any other side. The people, who had ration with them while for safe places, have now gone out of the food stock.

He said that though majority of people from katcha area in Kashmore district had been shifted to safe places, still a small number of people were there, who were reluctant to leave the area.

The News received reports from different areas that owing to the flow of 100,000 cusec at Guddu crossing and rising level in Sukkur barrage, katcha areas of Dadu, Jamshoro and Matiari districts came under water on Saturday morning. Standing crops on hundreds of acres in katcha area and the river bed have been inundated by the flood water. Local people said that due to illegal encroachments on land along the embankments, its bunds have weakened.

The government functionaries have also started to plug leakages in the embankments in Matiari and Jamshoro districts.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority (Sida) Flood Information Cell figure released on Saturday said that at Guddu downstream water level was 102,2145 cusec, Sukkur 926,035 cusec and at Kotri downstream 132,660 cusec.
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