AAN :::Asia Arsenic Network Bangladesh

Field Activity Report of AAN Jessore (June 2005)

Reported by: Md. Shamim Uddin
Arsenic Center Manager

Date : 15-Jul-2005

Panjia Project

PRA Training: A two-day Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) training program was arranged for the AAN staff in Jessore on 3 rd and 4 th June. It was mainly a field-based training program with practices at 2 places of Gorbanga village of Panjia Union. AAN staff already learned many PRA tools before such as Transect walk, Physical mapping, Wealth ranking, Impact flow chart/tree, Bar and Venn diagram etc, and so the trainer emphasized on how to implement those tools in the project implementation site.

Site Selection for Medical Camp : Visited 9 Wards of Panjia Union on 7 th June, and selected 8 places for medical camps. Later, at the recommendation by Union members, 11 field workers who worked for the BAMWSP screening were appointed to gather patients and residents in the medical camp.

Union Arsenic Committee Meeting: The Union Arsenic Mitigation Committee (UAMC) meeting was held in Panjia Union Council on 16 th June. AAN explained the results of tubewell and household screening and the purpose of medical camps, and discussed with AMC members about the future plan. At the meeting UAMC proposed to appoint 11 field workers who worked for the BAMWSP screening to gather patients and residents in the medical camp. Health Training Program

Health Assistants and Field Worker Training Program : AAN arranged a one-day training program focusing on identification and management of arsenicosis patients for 27 Health Assistants, 1 Sanitary Inspector and 1 Medical Officer at the Keshabpur Health Complex on 17 th June. The 11 Field Workers of Panjia Union also joined in this training program. The training was conducted by NIPSOM doctors

Health Training Program

Medical Camp: After the training program, the medical camp was held in 8 places of Panjia Union on 18 th and 19 th June. Around 2500 peoples came to the camps to have their symptoms checked. The medical experts, two NIPSOM doctors, Keshabpur UHFPO, and AAN Consultant, identified 63 arsenicosis patients in the whole Panjia Union as per the Table 1 below. The list of arsenicosis patients was added to AAN database.

Patient Identification in the Medical Camp

Table 1: Ward-wise Number of Patients in Panjia

	Male	Female	Total
Ward No. 1	10	2	12
Ward No. 2	15	3	18
Ward No. 3	1	0	1
Ward No. 4	5	0	5
Ward No. 5	0	0	0
Ward No. 6	0	0	0
Ward No. 7	18	0	18
Ward No. 8	2	0	2
Ward No. 9	7	0	7
Total	58	5	63

The table shows that the medical camp found quite a few female patients. Our lesson is that the method is not suitable to identify patients in the rural areas of Bangladesh since many women may feel reluctant to come out to the camps.

As a result of the medical camp, AAN decided to distribute household arsenic removal filters to those families with patients in the Ward Nos. 3, 4, 7 and 8 where there is currently no plan to provide alternative safe drinking water devices.

Cross Examination: The arsenic concentrations of 49 (10%) tubewell water were cross-checked by AAS in the AAN laboratory. The water samples for AAS analysis were collected at the same time of tubewell screening period. The field kit result shows relatively high arsenic contamination (R 2 =0.60) than the AAS results.

But among the 49 water samples red and green marked tubewells did not overlap between the AAS and field kit examination. So, the field kit is reliable for tubewell screening purposes to see if the arsenic concentration is above or under 0.05mg/L.

AAN General Activities

Patients Follow-up Survey: To know the health condition of the 2 nd and 3 rd stages arsenicosis patients, AAN conducted a follow-up survey in 5 villages (Mazdia, Marua, Gopinathpur, Samta and Srimontokathi) where there are many patients. The patient follow-up survey was conducted in Samta and Mazdia on 20 th June, in Marua and Gopinathpur on 21 st June, and in Srimontokathi on 23 rd June. Dr. M.H Faruquee, who conducted the survey, submitted a patient follow-up report, and we are in the process of making medicine distribution and treatment plans.

Opening Ceremony of Mazdia PSF #3:

Upon the completion of construction work of

Mazdia PSF #3, an opening ceremony was organized by the Users Committee on 4 th of June. The villagers started drinking this water after the opening ceremony on the same day. AAN laboratory checked the water quality parameters on 29 May, which is shown in Table 2. The efficiency of the sand filter is very fine to reduce turbidity, ammonia, iron and arsenic. However, m anganese ion concentration of the processed water is higher than the raw water. It may be due to the sand. We are hoping that manganese ion concentration will decrease after the proper washing of the filter sand.

Table 2: Water Quality of Mazdia PSF #3

Parameters	Bangladesh Standard	Raw water	Filter ed water
pH	6.5~8.5	8.27	7.75
Conductivity ( m S/cm)	-	705	660
TDS (mg/L)	1000	352	320
Turbidity (FAU)	10	27	5
As (mg/L )	0.05	0.048	0.008
Fe (mg/L)	0.3~1.0	0.355	0.109
Mn (mg/L)	0.1	0.011	0.317
NH 4 + (mg/L)	0.64	0.43	0.15
NO 3 - (mg/L)	44	7.3	2.7
PO 4 3- (mg/L)	6	1.21	0.48
Faecal Coliform (cfu/100ml)	0	-	<1

Construction of Marua GSF Filter #3: The arsenic concentration of Marua AAN DTW water was around 0.1mg/L during the last 2 years. Many people including arsenicosis patients are using this water, since they know the arsenic concentration of this DTW is less than those of their own tube wells. To supply safe water for those people, AAN decided to construct a GSF-type filter to be attached to the DTW. GSF is a gravel sand filter and removes arsenic 60-80% from water.

The construction work of Marua GSF #3 thus started on 27 th May and was completed on 20 th June. It will be filled with gravels and sand as soon as the bricks/concrete has become dry and then water will be run through early July. After checking the water quality parameters it will be opened for drinking.

Repair of Marua DW #1 & #2: The arsenic concentration of processed water of Marua DW #1 and #2 was above 0.05mg/L since they were using highly arsenic contaminated emergency well water for a long period. AAN decided that both dubwells should be repaired quickly to use dugwell water and not emergency well water. The repair work started on 25 th June. After the completion of repair work, those dugwell filters will be restarted by using dugwell water. The emergency well water should be used only in an emergency period when the DWs do not supply enough water.

Pond Sand Filters (PSF) in Sharsha: AAN installed 13 pond sand filters in the highly arsenic contaminated areas under the JICA/AAN arsenic mitigation project in Sharsha Upazilla. Pond re-excavation was also done to store enough water for the dry season. But we identified 9 PSFs were inactive because pond dried up during the dry season (April to June 2005). So, another alternative water source is needed for those PSFs during the dry season. Shallow irrigation or emergency wells can be sunk as an alternative water source near the PSF pond. To know the water quality of shallow aquifers of those areas, we checked the arsenic concentration of shallow tubewells near the pond sites. The results are shown in Annex 1.

In summary, if the arsenic concentration of the emergency well is within 0.15mg/L, then the emergency well water can be used as raw water of the sand filter unit. Incase of high concentration (> 0.15mg/l to 0.4mg/l), contaminated water first has to be filled into the pond and the water can be used as a raw water of PSF after aeration and sedimentation in the pond. The emergency well water can be used only in the dry season when natural pond water is not available.

KRK Pipeline Water Supply System: In May the processed water of the KRK pipeline water supply system showed bad smell due to the decomposition of died algae in gravel chambers. The gravel chambers were washed by up-flow pressured water, but the water quality did not improve. After that, all gravels were taken out and washed, and blackish gravels were separated from the good ones. But this was not successful either and users started complaining about the bad smell of processed water.

AAN asked the caretaker to remove all the died/excess algae regularly from the water treatment unit, and told him to wash gravels regularly by using up-flow pressured water. AAN also attached a screen net over the inlet pipe of each gravel chamber to prevent algae from entering into the pipe. [At the time of writing this report, the water quality is improved and users are satisfied about the existing water quality of KRK pipeline water supply system.]

During the follow-up survey it was also observed that the gravel chambers were under reducing condition after decomposition of excess algae. As a result, supply water showed bad smell. So, we learned that excess algae growth in gravel chambers is not good to produce nice water. Also, fishermen have to reduce the amount of fertilizer which produces lots of algae in the baor water.

Users are happy with the Existing Water Quality