Social awareness building regarding adverse arsenic affect on the human body was an important thrust of the software project. During the software project community was mobilized to avoid drinking of red marked arsenic contaminated TW and screened all tubewells. The specific objectives of this Phase to install hardware options are as follows:

• To ascertain options that are acceptable to the community in the villages having 100% red marked TW;
• To give priority to having arsenicossis patients and ensure safe drinking water;
• To ensure community participation in sharing contribution money and undertaking operations and maintenance activities by themselves.  

Main Feature of the Project

• Building social awareness of the community towards arsenic mitigation through safe drinking water;
• Ensure arsenic free water to the community;
• Installed hardware components in the priority villages;
• Ensure sustainable operation and maintenance of hardware options that provided to the community through training and follow-up;
• Integrate UNICEF – DPHE and community to get rid of the hazardous problem; and
• To make available arsenic free water for all the affected villages in the Upazila.

Specific activities to be performed as per agreement

In implementation of the 1 st phase hardware project the following activities were accomplished:

• Provide arsenic free safe water options to the community of the priority villages;
• Raising community awareness for hardware options;
• Provide training to the labour, masons for dugwell and RWH construction for skill development;
• Choose options by the community;
• Organize mass meeting at the Upazila level and miking in the villages;
• Selection of appropriate options site considering 100% affected villages as first priority so that maximum people can be benefited; and
• Provide training to the caretakers for O&M and collect contribution money monthly basis for the maintenance purpose.

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Table: Screening Status of Irrigation TWs

Water of 2,310 (23%) TWs found not acceptable and the rest 7,762 (77%) TWs water found acceptable.

Identification of Arsenicossis Patients:

Suspected arsenicossis patients were preliminary identified by ISDCM TW Testers and shared the list of patients with local DPHE and Health Officials in this Upazila. Later DCH / DGH confirmed 202 number of arsenicossis patients.

ut of total 127 villages surveyed in five villages all the TWs are painted green as the water of those TW found within acceptable limit i.e >0.05mg/l

Table: Status of Village Wise Arsenic Contamination

Communication Campaign: Awareness creation of the people and motivational work regarding effect of arsenic on the human body through use of arsenic contaminated drinking water was one of the major tasks under this project activity. The training and orientation of Upazila, Union Parishad and Ward Arsenic Committee were one of the project activities. The committees of the above mentioned local govt. institution were formed under the directives of the Cabinet Division. Subsequently communication training were provided to field workers of different sectoral agencies and stakeholders e.g., Health Workers, Family Planning Workers, Agricultural Workers, DPHE Mechanics, Imams, Headmasters of Schools and NGO workers. The role and responsibility of committee of Upazila, Union and Ward spelled out in the mitigation process, create awareness of the people and ensure supply of arsenic free water. Similarly field workers of different sectoral agencies and stakeholders were trained regarding role and responsibility on awareness creation among the people. The field workers of the sectoral agencies and stakeholders included the tasks of arsenic issues in monthly workplan on regular basis for motivational purpose. The ISDCM Social Mobilizers and Project Managers attended the motivational meeting with the sectoral field workers according to their workplan e.g., Health, Family Planning, Agricultural. Beside this ISDCM field staff monitored the motivational activity of NGO workers, Headmasters and Imams on regular basis.

Union Chairman & Ward Members Training:

Table: Union Chairmen and Ward Members Training

Sectoral Training on Communication:

Table: Sectoral Training on Communication

Courtyard Meeting and Community Meeting by TW Testers:

Table : Courtyard meeting and community meeting by TW Testers

Formation of Village Arsenic Mitigation Committees (VAMCs):

Table: Formation of Village Arsenic Mitigation Committees (VAMCs)

Communication Campaign by Stakeholders:

Table : Communication Campaign Organized by Different Sectoral Agencies  

Rally:

Table : Union level Rally

For sensitizing the community on arsenic problem, miking in the villages level was one of the important tasks. Miking has been organized in 127 villages of Damurhuda project upazila by rickshaw playing cassette and chanting slogans. This was the very easy and acceptable communication media to communicate the messages to the community people.

Table: Miking at Village level

8 Billboard & Information Board: Erection of Billboard in important places of Union and Upazila was another task under project action plan. All together 35 billboards erected with message and information on arsenic problem in the project upazila.

Table: Billboard and Information Board

Popular Theatre and Kavi Gan: The Popular theatre and folk song were another important task of creating awareness regarding arsenic contaminated water and its mitigation. The Popular theatre staged drama in Damurhuda Upazila. Script of the theatre “Mayna Bibir Ghar Sangsar” was written by a well known professional writer. One Professional theatre team were hired. The hundreds of people from all walks of life including upazila officials, upazila Nirbahi Officer, local elites and common people attended and enjoyed the theatre. Similarly organizing folk song/kavi gan professional party was hired and they staged 10 sessions in important places of the union. Hundreds of people enjoyed the folk song/kavi gan. The theme of the song was arsenic problem its consequences and mitigation etc.

Table: Popular Theatre and Kavi Gan

Debate on Arsenic:

Table: Debate in 8 Schools of each Upazila

4 topics of the debate were selected and distributed to the individual school on lottery basis and provided to each selected school for preparation. In final round the Deputy Commissioner Chuadanga attended as Chief Guest. While the Principal of the local Colleges presided over the debate competitions. Trophies distributed to the Champions and Runner ups. Certificates issued to all participants of the 8 schools of the upazila. The debate competitions were enjoyed by the community people and highly appreciated by all of them.

Communication Campaign Materials:

ifferent types of communication materials were supplied to DPHE office for project activities as per Table shown below. ISDCM project office collected those from DPHE Upazila office as and when needed. Forms, Flash Cards, Posters, Routine Cards and Carry folders were distributed to the participants as per UNICEF guidelines during training programme of different sectoral agencies e.g., Field workers of Health department, Field workers of Agricultural Department, Mechanics of DPHE, Head Teachers of High Schools, NGO workers, Imams of Mosque and Community Leaders. The posters were distributed to important places where large number of people gathered and pasted to Hat-Bazars, Hotels, Restaurants, Road sides and Bus Stands. A lot of enthusiasm and interest was developed among the school going children and the community people. The posters were also distributed to individual households where found appropriate by the TW Testers during TW testing.

Table: Logistic and other support

Village Water Resource Map (VWRM): Preparation of Village Water Resource Map (VWRM) was one of the major tasks of the project activities. This was done to identify the red TW marked area and green TW. This was also helped identify and assess the requirement of hardware options. The map was prepared with the help of community people and leaders. The mappers drew the village water resource map of all the villages of Damurhuda Upazila. The mappers visited each village along with social mobilizers and sit in the central point of the villages to drew the map. In this connection TW testers helped the mapper to drew the red marked area and green as well. The peoples of the villages were very helpful to prepare the map. Village water resource maps become good indicators to understand the arsenic situation of the villages. Of the total 127 Village Water Resource Maps, 23 maps up to 80% tube wells arsenic contaminated were sent to UNICEF .  

Conclusion & Recommendations:

• The TWs which were tested on the date of survey and painted red or green should be re-tested every after six months continually;
• DPHE should have a cell within their local office for testing and painting of the new tube well installed for maintaining keeping up-to-date record of the level of arsenic contamination;
• ISDCM feels that there should be a cadre of women social mobilizers and advocacy activities properly trained/oriented to keep up the momentum. This may be a part of human resource development. It is the demand of time and subject commensurate with the trend of the new millennium;
• All sectoral agencies and stakeholders should built good working relationship and emphasize due importance to the arsenic mitigation project;
• Not all villages are affected equally and hence there is a need for prioritization in information. For this we need to know which villages are most affected;
• A national standard and quality field test kit should be developed to detect arsenic contamination more accurately;
• The identification of arsenic contamination should be followed immediately by providing appropriate safe water options to keep the momentum generated through motivation and communication campaign.