Comparative assessment of four alternative water supply options in arsenic affected areas of Bangladesh

Arsenic contamination in groundwater and its toxic effect on human health is a major public health problem in Bangladesh and it is emphasized in the national level to use alternative water sources for drinking water to mitigate the arsenic problem. To identify reasons of nonfunctioning and in order to develop a comparative information and better understanding of the options, assessment of alternative water supply options in both technical and social aspects are essential. The study was conducted on 11 Dug wells (DW) of Charghat, Dohar and Gazaria, 9 Deep hand tubewells (DTW) of Dohar and Gournadi, 17 Rain water harvesting systems (RWHS) of Charghat, Gournadi, Pathorghata and Ghior and 6 Pond sand filters (PSF) of Pathorghata and Gournadi. Microbial contamination were found in 95 percent water samples of DW, 7 percent of DTW, 43 percent of RWHS and 77 percent of PSF. None of DW water sampled in this study had an arsenic concentration higher than the Bangladesh drinking water standard (BDS) of 50 µg/L but arsenic concentrations exceeding the WHO guideline value (WHOGV) of 10 µg/L were found in 35 percent of DW water samples. Arsenic concentrations in DTW, RWHS and PSF water samples were found within BDS and WHOGV. Both iron and manganese were present in DW water of Dohar and Gazaria in excess of BDS. Manganese was present in DTW water of Dohar in excess of BDS. The concentrations of nitrate in DW, DTW, PSF and RWHS water samples were within BDS. Water quality of DWs of Charghat in all respects was found better than DWs of Dohar and Gazaria. Users’ satisfaction and social acceptability of the DW, DTW, PSF and RWHS were found area specific depending on the quality and availability of water. 

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