ARSENIC ORPHANS

Dipankar Chakraborti^*

School of Environmental Studies

Jadavpur University, Calcutta - 700 032

Poor management and negligence has compelled villagers in several districts of West Bengal to drink water contaminated by arsenic even 18 years after the calamity was first discovered. People are suffering clinically and subclinically, with more and more cancer cases cropping up in the affected villages. In many villages still people are not aware that they are victims of arsenic toxicity.

Till January, 1999 the status of the arsenic calamity in West Bengal was like this: 1000 villages/ wards in 69 blocks are affected in 9 districts (including southern part of Calcutta). Total area and population of these 9 districts are 38865. sq. km and 42.8 million respectively. This does not mean all the people living in the area are drinking contaminated water or suffering from arsenic toxicity although they are doubtless at risk! Extrapolation of our 4 years study only in North 24-Parganas district indicate that in these 9 districts more than 4.5 million people are drinking contaminated water above 0.05 mg/l and about 300,000 people have arsenical skin lesions. So far from the affected 9 districts we have examined 29,000 people from arsenic affected villages of 7 districts (Hooghly and Howrah have not yet covered for patient) and 14% have been identified with skin lesions. About 10,000 of hair, nail, urine samples were examined and revealed that, on an average, 80% of the people had arsenic in the body above normal level. Therefore it may be assumed that a large number of people are subclinically affected. Figure-1 presents our recent survey report on arsenic-affected blocks in nine districts. The School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, has been working for about past 12 years on arsenic-affected areas, on people drinking contaminated water, on the probable number of people with arsenical skin lesions, and the source of arsenic as well as the mechanism of leaching into groundwater. Recently, it conducted an in-depth study jointly with medical experts in some villages which ten years ago were identified as arsenic-affected, and brought to public notice. The results showed that conditions had, far from improving, greatly deteriorated! In our detailed study of two such villages namely Nathipota, Sarderpara, Haspukuria Gram Panchayet, Tehatta-2 block, Nadia district (ii) Village Kadamtola, Katlamari gram panchayet, Raninagar block, Murshidabad district, we found that in both these villages the poor villagers were suffering more even before, with more cancer patients among those (with arsenical skin lesions), we saw ten years ago. We further discovered that in many of the villages roundabout people were still unware that they were drinking water contaminated with arsenic, and were consequently suffering from arsenical skin lesions.

In the SOES (School of Environmental Studies) team, dermatologists, K.C. Saha (retired Professor of dermatology, School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta), P.K. Dutta (Asst. Professor of dermatology, Calcutta Medical College and Hospital), neurologist S.C. Mukhopadhyay (Prof. of neurology, Calcutta Medical Collect and Hospital), were present along with a pathologist, a biochemist, an analytical chemist and an economist and as well as trained field workers. Altogether 14 members were present in the team.

* Tel: 033 4735233, Fax: 033 4734266, Email: dcsoesju@vsnl.com

DETAILED STUDY OF KATLAMARI G.P. OF RANINAGAR-II, MURSHIDABAD

So far from the available reports and our decade-long experience in the field, it appears Murshidabad is one of the worst arsenic affected districts of West Bengal. In Murshidabad, out of a total of 26 blocks, we have surveyed 15 and in all 15 we found arsenic above WHO's maximum permissible limit. In 10 blocks we also looked for arsenic patient and in all 10 we found them. How much Murshidabad is actually affected will come to surface when total survey of the district is conducted.

There are 13 villages in Katlamari G.P. (Gram Panchayet) of Raninagar Block II. Ten years ago we surveyed only one village of Katlamari G.P. (Gram Panchayet) and that was Kadamtola village. The villagers at that time were drinking tubewell water mainly from two hand-tubewells. whose arsenic concentration was 0.65 mg/l and 0.53 mg/l. These two tubewells have since been abandoned. We identified about twenty adult patients with arsenical skin lesions ten years ago from Kadamtola village. The aged ones there told us that prior to 1975, they had been drinking water from the ponds and also fetching water from a distant tubewell. In 1975 two tubewells were then installed in the village. People started getting symptoms around 1978. In 1985 they first came to know that they were suffering from arsenic toxicity. We had no idea actually 10 years before how many villages in Katlamari G.P. were affected. In January (1999) this year we made an overall study of 13 villages in Katlamari G.P. including Kadamtola. The villagers told us that groundwater withdrawal had started in 1964. The Yugoslavians had installed 2 deep tubewells of 12-inch diameter and 850 ft depth for agricultural irrigation. The fields were flooded with underground water.

Present arsenic situation in Kadamtola village

In our study we surveyed 226 members in 48 out of the 56 families in Kadamtola. Out of them, 62% male adults and 38% female adults had arsenical skin lesions. Out of 79 children below age 11, only one was found with arsenical skin lesions. Thus it appears that at present children are not exposed to water containing high arsenic. At present the source of water is Kadamtola village is 12 hand tubewells and one pipeline with water supplied from PHED. Out of these 12 hand tubewells, 2 are safe to drink with arsenic at 0.01 mg/l, which conforms with the WHO-recommended value. Two have arsenic between 0.01-0.05 mg/l (the maximum permissible limit 0.05 mg/l) and the rest have arsenic between 0.07 mg/l to 0.31 mg/l. Normally, children do not show arsenical skin lesions drinking water in this range (exceptions apart) and that is why we don't find arsenical skin lesions among children below 11 years in Kadamtola. The pity is the villagers were not aware that out of 12 tubewells 8 were not fit for drinking, while they had 2 tubewells with safe water according to WHO's norms.

Arsenic calamity of Kadamtola came to light in 1985. In 1993, the PHED installed 2 deep tubewells for water supply to Kadamtola and its surrounding villages. But soon they had to be abandoned as they got arsenic contaminated. Again in 1996 PHED installed 2 deep (850 ft) tubewells (8" diameter) for public supply.

How to combat the situation

1. In most villages, around 40-50% tubewells contain arsenic below 0.05 mg/l. Safe tubewells are immediately to be marked Green while the unsafe are to be marked Red. Villagers are to be informed and safe tubewells tested every 3 months.

2. Normally, villagers do not understand the gravity of drinking arsenic contaminated water. An awareness campaign with video/photographs is to be launched. Women to be involved in this work and risk young children highlighted.

3. Villagers should be influenced into consuming locally available seasonal fruits and vegetables. They are to be informed that one can get enough nutritious food from fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.

4. If the villagers do not know which tubewell is safe to drink they can keep the water containing high iron (high iron containing water turns brown after withdrawal) overnight, and in the morning filter it through a few folds of clean cloth or through a common filter available in the market. We have experimental report on it and that appears 60-70% of arsenic may be eliminated this way, by precipitating it with the iron.

5. In Katlamari G.P. (gram panchayet) large water bodies are present, namely Kadamtola Bheel, Narendarpur Bheel and rainfall is around 2000 mm. Proper watershed management is necessary to utilize these water resources.

6. In any developed work, the villagers should be involved . Use of surface water, rain water harvest and proper watershed management, with peoples' participation, is the only way to combat the arsenic situation.