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New groundwater tests in Nepal reveal that arsenic-rich water from tubewells is poisoning a population of 11 million in the country’s southern plains. Experts warn that this could lead to thousands of deaths in the next decade. The reports indicate that, over time, 1.7 million Nepalese could be affected.
Preliminary tests conducted by the government-run National Arsenic Steering Committee and a slew of non-governmental organisations like Unicef and the World Health Organisation (WHO), reveal that people in this region are drinking water containing high levels of arsenic -- ranging from 50 to 2,600 parts per billion (ppb). This is vastly over the WHO standard for arsenic in water, which is 10 ppb.
Abdhesh Kumar Mishra, an expert working with the committee, which coordinates arsenic-testing activities, says: “Our tests revealed that arsenic levels in the southern plains measured between 200 ppb and 2,600 ppb.”
Evidently, levels of arsenic have shot up over the last four years. In 1999, the first survey on arsenic contamination conducted by the department of water supply and sanitation, and the WHO, indicated that only 4% of the 8,000 tested wells were unsafe. The latest tests reveal that 8% of the 25,000 tested wells are contaminated.
The National Arsenic Steering Committee is now engaged in blanket-testing in eight districts of the terai region in the foothills of the Himalayas. This is the first time such an extensive study is being conducted.
“Since water containing high amounts of arsenic has an adverse affect on human health, including increased risks from cancer, diabetes and heart disease, the WHO is providing technical and other support to prevent a health catastrophe,” says the WHO’s representative in Nepal, Dr Klaus Wagner.
As many of the tubewells were installed only 10 years ago, visible signs of contamination are yet to surface. Symptoms of arsenic contamination can be observed only after two to 10 years of exposure.
There are two kinds of arsenic poisoning -- acute and chronic. The former occurs in industrial locations, mines and factories, while in less-industrialised countries such as Nepal, chronic poisoning is more common.
The National Arsenic Steering Committee estimates that about 11 million people, living in 22 districts in southern Nepal, are under direct threat from arsenic poisoning. “We will have exact data regarding contamination levels after completing our testing by the year-end,” says Mishra.
Ironically, thousands of tubewells were installed in the late 1980s as a cheap, low-technology means of providing drinking water to people. According to an estimate by the department of drinking water and sanitation, every district in the terai boasts an average of 30,000 tubewells, totalling an estimated 660,000. Almost 90% of residents depend on groundwater.
In Nawalparasi district, 250 miles southwest of the capital Kathmandu, more than 300 wells contained 200 ppb of arsenic. Fifty miles away, in a village in Rupandehi district, the arsenic level was a whopping 2,600 ppb.
“The most common signs of long-term, low-level arsenic exposure from drinking water are dermal changes,” says Mishra. The gastrointestinal, nervous and circulatory systems may also be affected, along with the liver, kidney and heart.
Arsenic-rich rocks form a natural part of the earth’s crust. As these rocks erode, the metalloid toxic element dissolves in water flowing through the area. “The recent increase in the use of tubewells in the terai is likely to result in increased health risks for Nepalese citizens,” warns US geologist Van Williams.
Despite the current and potential risks, the Nepal government does not run any specific awareness programmes. Says a senior official from the epidemiology and disease control division at the health ministry: “Our health posts are treating patients (affected) by arsenic and providing basic information about the symptoms.”
Source: http://infochangeindia.org
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