Comparison and Analysis of Arsenic Mitigation in Nepal and Bangladesh: Difficulties Facing a Country with Lower Contamination Rates

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  • OGATA Ryuji
    Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), The University of Tokyo

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Other Title
  • ネパール・バングラデシュでの砒素汚染対策の比較検討
  • ネパール・バングラデシュでの砒素汚染対策の比較検討 : 低率汚染国における対応の難しさ
  • ネパール ・ バングラデシュ デ ノ ヒソ オセン タイサク ノ ヒカク ケントウ : テイリツ オセンコク ニ オケル タイオウ ノ ムズカシサ
  • ―低率汚染国における対応の難しさ―

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Abstract

<p>Arsenic contamination in groundwater was first reported in Bangladesh in 1993 and then in Nepal in 1999. The results of blanket tube well screening was that 29% and 1.7% of the tested wells were arsenic- contaminated in Bangladesh and Nepal, respectively. In Bangladesh, 97% of rural areas had appropriate levels of alternative water sources installed, whereas in Nepal, only 13.8% of arsenic-affected villagers had long-term alternative water sources. This discrepancy has several possible explanations. First, Bangladesh formulated an arsenic mitigation policy and implementation plan in 2004, but Nepal had no such policies even as of 2018. Second, the Government of Bangladesh installed long-term safe water facilities at an early stage of their arsenic mitigation activities. In contrast, while the Nepalese government distributed numerous arsenic removal filters for emergency purposes, most remained unused as of 2015. Third, the two countries differed in hydrogeological conditions, which influence methods of deep tube well drilling. Specifically, Nepal had a gravel layer between arsenic-contaminated aquifers and safe aquifers. This feature meant that Nepal required expensive track-mounted drilling rigs for deep tube well drilling. These rigs cost 20 times the cost of equipment used in Bangladesh, which installed hand pumps using inexpensive manual rotary drilling to generate approximately 400,000 deep tube wells with good usage status. The Government of Nepal should accelerate the formulation of policy and implementation plans that efficiently address long-term arsenic mitigation. The presence of detailed proposals will encourage foreign donors and NGOs to support arsenic mitigation in Nepal.</p>

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