Arsenic Filter Pilot

In 1993 the Government of Bangladesh became aware that a substantial part (about 27%) of the tube wells is contaminated with arsenic. In the district around Jessore, where PRIDE is based, the contamination is more severe. An estimated 50% of the shallow tube wells is contaminated with arsenic. Drinking arsenic contaminated water is very bad for one’s health and should be avoided.

Goals overview

To develop a filter system that can mitigate the arsenic problem in Bangladesh, to prevent illness that occurs from drinking arsenic contaminated water.

Current status

A suitable filter system has been selected and a design of the filter system is being made. Two villages are already selected in which awareness of the arsenic problem is actively being risen. It is expected that the construction of the filter systems will start mid-September.

Project plan

In short the NIAS (NOTS Integrated Arsenic Solution) project consists of the selection, adaptation and implementation of arsenic removal technology on village level in rural areas in Bangladesh. PRIDE and NOTS strive to use available technology to construct filter units that provide 150 liters of clean drinking water per day; a capacity suited for approximately 6 households of average 5 people.

The key elements of NIAS are:
· A filter system that will be installed next to an existing shallow tube well, which produces 150 liters of clean water per day in a user-friendly way.
· This filter system will be used by on average 6 families with on average 5 persons each.
· During 1 year, starting six months before the filter systems are installed in a community a so called awareness builder will be employed. His/her task is to make the people in the community aware of the arsenic problem and to make them enthusiastic for NIAS.
· Per community (where 16 – 18 filter systems will be installed) 1 person will be employed for 15 hours per week. This person will maintain the filter systems and will test the water of every filter system every three months.
· Every three months the water will be tested for arsenic content and for bacteriological content. Before installing the filters all tube wells will be tested in a similar way in order to select the best tube wells for the project and to mark the other ones as ‘non-drinking water’.
· Each family will pay 35 Taka per month for using the filter system. This amount will cover all costs: salary of the awareness builder; cost of the filter system (depreciated in 4 years) & installation; salary of the maintenance man; and the cost of the test kits.
· The arsenic that accumulates in the filter will be regularly collected by PRIDE. NOTS and PRIDE are looking into possible applications of this waste stream for example in brick making or tarmac production.
· Due to the relatively small filter units (6 families only) and the surplus of tube wells available in every village, the project can be easily extended when population increases. Construction workshops and the presence of a local maintenance person enable the village to install additional filter systems together with PRIDE.

PRIDE and NOTS strongly believe that the NIAS project will be effective and sustainable because:
· The filter system will be effective in cleaning water. NOTS and PRIDE will develop an effective system by combining the best elements of existing filter systems.
· NIAS is much more than a technical solution. NIAS builds awareness and NIAS is a continuous intervention.
· NIAS is economically sustainable; the 35 Taka (€0.34) per family per months covers all the costs.
· NIAS is using the market mechanism in an optimal way: when one has to pay for a service or product, one will be critical that the service or product is doing what it is supposed to do.