A dugwell program to provide arsenic-safe water in West Bengal, India: preliminary results
| Autor: | Allan H. Smith, Xavier Savarimuthu, PS Chakraborty, Meera M. Hira Smith, Timir Hore, Deepa Chakraborty |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: |
Environmental Engineering
Tube well Water supply chemistry.chemical_element India Aquifer Arsenic Engineering Environmental protection Water Supply Arsenic Poisoning Humans Socioeconomics geography geography.geographical_feature_category business.industry General Medicine Arsenic contamination of groundwater Contaminated water Ground level chemistry Environmental science West bengal Environment Design Public Health business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substancesenvironmental engineering. 38(1) |
| ISSN: | 1093-4529 |
| Popis: | In 1982, Dr. K. C. Saha, a dermatologist of Calcutta, West Bengal, identified patients with skin lesions from the district of 24 Parganas, leading him and others to search for a cause. The cause was soon identified to be arsenic in drinking water, but even today, 20 years later, large number of people continue to drink arsenic contaminated water and patients are increasing in number. Project Well is a program chosen for implementation in some villages of North 24 Parganas. Arsenic safe drinking water is provided for adopted villages by constructing shallow, concrete dugwells designed to tap the water of the unconfined aquifer, 20-30 feet below ground level, that contains low levels (0.05 mg/L) of arsenic in the target region. The traditional dugwell design is modified by use of tube well hand pumps to withdraw water. The project includes community involvement, programs to increase awareness of the need to drink arsenic safe water, and training in monitoring of dugwell water for arsenic and harmful pathogens. Disinfecting of the water and regulating the water hazard diagram are also included in the training program. The plan is to make the system sustainable at the village level using indigenous labor and materials. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|