[Drishtipat has concluded fundraising for the Arsenic Project Campaign. We will keep the website updated with project status. We would like to thank each and everyone who has participated in this endeavor. - Drishtipat Team]

Bangladesh is one of the richest countries in the world in rain and surface water per capita and yet it is one of the most unutilized of all resources. With ground water unreliable and over exploited, surface water preservation has become an urgent environmental need. And the failure to provide people with safe drinking water by the State becomes a violation of the basic right to life.

Bangladesh faces a grave impact of environmental disorder from over exploitation of ground water – the ground water pouring out of the millions of tubewells are highly arsenic contaminated. Tubewells are no more safe sources of water.

Brotee's Safe Water Program is the result of an urgent need of the village people who have lost all sources of safe drinking water due to the scourge of arsenic in tubewells.

Through 'Arsenic Project Campaign' Drishtipat will work with Brotee and take responsibility of supplying arsenic free clean water and by educating them about the issue. For this we are adopting a pond which is located in a village named Paschim Shapania in the district of Barisal, one of the worst affected village by Arsenic. Bangladesh Environmental Network (BEN), a network of expatriate Bangladeshi Environmental Experts, is also helping Drishtipat with the fund collection and with expert opinion.

We urge all Bangladeshis living at home and abroad to come forward and help the arsenic affected people of these villages.

• What is the program about?

• Description of this movement

• The Project Plan

• Proposed budget for Pond Preservation Movement

• How you can help

Safe Water Program - Pond Preservation Movement:

Most developed countries with far less surface water than Bangladesh harness up to 80% of their water from surface sources. Surface water must be protected from further destruction and misuse. It must be preserved for drinking.

Under the Safe Water Program the Gono Gobeshona Dal (GGD – a group of village researchers) initiated a search for drinking water through dialogue and selected rainwater harvest and pond preservation as the option. A pond was donated to the community by one of the members of GGD who is also an arsenicosis patient. The GGD and the arsenic patients manage the pond while Brotee as its research partner monitors the quality of water.

The arsenic affected people of Kalashgram and Char Aicha and Brotee are working together to preserve rainwater in ponds.

Inspired by the activities of these two villages arsenic affected people of fourteen neighboring villages have come forward seeking assistance to preserve their ponds. A Pond Preservation Movement has begun, bringing new hope to the arsenic affected villages.

The Project Plan: 

• Adopt the village with the pond.
• Establish Gono Gobeshona Dal and Arsenic Rogi Shangho.
• Select the pond, clean, dredge and disinfect it.
• Pond protection.
• Pond water quality monitoring for 1 year.
• Train villagers in the hygienic use of the pond.
• Filter pond water (through pond sand filtration method).
• Install tubewell in edge of pond to siphon clean water for drinking.

Special support must be provided for the following additional activities.

• Monitor arsenic patients’ health and provide them with basic antioxidant vitamins with support from local doctors.
• Provide urgently ill patients with some treatment and logistics (sending to hospital and minimum treatment cost).
• Documentation of the process of pond preservation movement and people’s search for water and patient management : print, photo and video documentation of the major phases for our NRB partners and Brotee.
• Submission of project completion report

How You Can  Help:

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