In Ballia issue of arsenic has many ramifications. Community as a whole has not been able to comprehend, response to this crisis owing to various factors. Lack of awareness is first among them. There has not been any concrete initiatives to take community in confidence. The other notable factors being absence of leadership, capacity building & sustained mobilization of affected people. Being a traditional society in fact, this has instead given rise to misconceptions like diseases spreading due to arsenic are, due to AIDS, etc.
In a unfortunate incident in keharpur, villagers even chased team of scientists.
This has also resulted in community being utterly out of sync with the water testing, sample collecting carried out by the authorities. So, initiatives by the authorities have not been so successful here.
Older persons, women and kids are most susceptible to arsenic related diseases. In some instances visitors are also found having developed visible sign of skin legions. No arrangements have been made at district HQ for Treatment of people suffering due to high intake of Arsenic. So they have to go to far off places for treatment. This is true for those who have little bit awareness. (Otherwise people do not suspect water).This has resulted in people selling their agricultural land, mortgaging and borrowing. It has been also found that some families have abandoned their houses and moved to safer places (migration). This has resulted in huge economic loss to community in Ballia
In this scenario for community there is compounded misbelieve.
The plethora of datas & theories add more to the confusion of community. Experiences from field give clear idea so as how the mitigation endeavors should go on. There is need to look beyond them and focus on the human side of the issue.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Arsenic in U P waters
Arsenic in Ballia
Arsenic problem in Uttar Pradesh was first reported in 2003 by school of Environmental Studies, Jadhavpur University (SOES-JU). SOES-JU reported the Uttar Pradesh ground water arsenic contamination to be as grave as in West Bengal, Bihar and Bangladesh.
Ballia district is the easternmost part of UP state and borders with Bihar State in the east. It comprises an irregularly shaped tract extending westward from the confluence of the river Ganga and river Ghaghra. The geographical area is 3168 sq. km and the total population is 33 lakhs. There are 17 Development Blocks in Ballia and 1850 villages there.
UP Jal Nigam (UPJN), the key agency responsible for conducting survey and executing arsenic mitigation measures has tested 10151 hand pumps for arsenic in all 17 Blocks. UPJN has reported 1122 hand pumps in 12 Blocks to be contaminated with arsenic exceeding 50 µg/l. Though actual numbers can go far beyond these numbers. And the highest level of arsenic found in Ballia is 1390 ppb.5 Blocks are most severely affected. As far as mitigation measures are concerned, till date 250 deep hand pumps (up to 90 m) have been set up in the affected villages. (Though some of them have gone out of order and contrary to the claim 20-30 wells are yet to be installed.)
Death due to arsenic is not a recent phenonmemon. Arsenic affects the skin and the central nervous system,and causes acute poisoning and cardio-vascular diseases. It also harms the kidneys, lungs and the liver apart from other body organs. Adverse health effects of arsenic depend strongly on the dose and duration of exposure. Specific dermatological effects are characteristics of chronic exposure to arsenic. Salient dermatological features are melanosis (pigmentation) and keratosis (rough, dry, papular skin lesions), both may be spotted or diffuse. Chronic exposure to arsenic may also cause reproductive, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, haematological, and diabetic effects in humans . Ingestion of inorganic arsenic is an established cause of skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
In Sughar Chapra, Rishidev Yadav’s family lost four people to arsenic poisoning in 1987. Ram Bahadur Singh has 6,310 ppb of arsenic in his body. Contrast this with the acceptable level of 10 ppb prescribed by the World Health Organisation. Likewise, an analysis of a blood sample taken from Ashok Singh, a resident a village in Ballia, revealed an arsenic level of 34.50 ppb. The ‘safe’ level is 1-4 ppb.
Laboratory analysis conducted by the CSE on water from handpumps and of the hair and nails of people living in the village revealed levels of arsenic much higher than what is considered safe. Between 4,800 ppb (parts per billion) and 6,300 ppb of arsenic was detected in the hair samples. There is no legal safe limit for arsenic in hair, but toxicologists say that between 80 to 250 ppb can be tolerated. Clearly, the levels in the findings are unacceptable
On several levels these reports can be verified. Though authorities in Ballia will ever remain callous the onus is on the common people and citizens to give this movement a push that will ultimately succeed.
Though there are thousand of theories, views and thoughts, the most effective way to bring a order will be to look at the Human side of story and focus on medication, awareness, testing of wells,and bringing more deeper dug wells to these people in Ballia .
Saurabh Singh, Inner Voice Foundation , Ballia
Arsenic problem in Uttar Pradesh was first reported in 2003 by school of Environmental Studies, Jadhavpur University (SOES-JU). SOES-JU reported the Uttar Pradesh ground water arsenic contamination to be as grave as in West Bengal, Bihar and Bangladesh.
Ballia district is the easternmost part of UP state and borders with Bihar State in the east. It comprises an irregularly shaped tract extending westward from the confluence of the river Ganga and river Ghaghra. The geographical area is 3168 sq. km and the total population is 33 lakhs. There are 17 Development Blocks in Ballia and 1850 villages there.
UP Jal Nigam (UPJN), the key agency responsible for conducting survey and executing arsenic mitigation measures has tested 10151 hand pumps for arsenic in all 17 Blocks. UPJN has reported 1122 hand pumps in 12 Blocks to be contaminated with arsenic exceeding 50 µg/l. Though actual numbers can go far beyond these numbers. And the highest level of arsenic found in Ballia is 1390 ppb.5 Blocks are most severely affected. As far as mitigation measures are concerned, till date 250 deep hand pumps (up to 90 m) have been set up in the affected villages. (Though some of them have gone out of order and contrary to the claim 20-30 wells are yet to be installed.)
Death due to arsenic is not a recent phenonmemon. Arsenic affects the skin and the central nervous system,and causes acute poisoning and cardio-vascular diseases. It also harms the kidneys, lungs and the liver apart from other body organs. Adverse health effects of arsenic depend strongly on the dose and duration of exposure. Specific dermatological effects are characteristics of chronic exposure to arsenic. Salient dermatological features are melanosis (pigmentation) and keratosis (rough, dry, papular skin lesions), both may be spotted or diffuse. Chronic exposure to arsenic may also cause reproductive, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, haematological, and diabetic effects in humans . Ingestion of inorganic arsenic is an established cause of skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
In Sughar Chapra, Rishidev Yadav’s family lost four people to arsenic poisoning in 1987. Ram Bahadur Singh has 6,310 ppb of arsenic in his body. Contrast this with the acceptable level of 10 ppb prescribed by the World Health Organisation. Likewise, an analysis of a blood sample taken from Ashok Singh, a resident a village in Ballia, revealed an arsenic level of 34.50 ppb. The ‘safe’ level is 1-4 ppb.
Laboratory analysis conducted by the CSE on water from handpumps and of the hair and nails of people living in the village revealed levels of arsenic much higher than what is considered safe. Between 4,800 ppb (parts per billion) and 6,300 ppb of arsenic was detected in the hair samples. There is no legal safe limit for arsenic in hair, but toxicologists say that between 80 to 250 ppb can be tolerated. Clearly, the levels in the findings are unacceptable
On several levels these reports can be verified. Though authorities in Ballia will ever remain callous the onus is on the common people and citizens to give this movement a push that will ultimately succeed.
Though there are thousand of theories, views and thoughts, the most effective way to bring a order will be to look at the Human side of story and focus on medication, awareness, testing of wells,and bringing more deeper dug wells to these people in Ballia .
Saurabh Singh, Inner Voice Foundation , Ballia
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