Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that 11 per cent of Bangladesh’s population remains at risk of arsenic contamination, according to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF.
Replying to a starred question tabled by ruling party reserved-seat lawmaker Selina Sultana in Parliament on Tuesday, the minister said the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), under the Local Government Division, has undertaken various measures to protect people from arsenic contamination.
Fakhrul said, “several rural water supply projects are currently under implementation through the DPHE. Under these projects, around 1,215,948 arsenic-free water sources have been installed by 2026.”
“These include deep tube wells, piped water supply systems, rainwater harvesting facilities, pond excavation and re-excavation, and solar-powered pond sand filters” he added.
The minister expressed hope that the proportion of people exposed to arsenic contamination would decline to 5–6 per cent by 2026.
Highlighting progress under the initiatives, he said 615,497 water sources have so far been installed.
Under the Safe Water Supply through Rainwater Harvesting in Coastal Districts Project, 199,485 water sources have been established to date.
Under the now-completed Arsenic Risk Reduction in Water Supply Project, 174,676 water sources have been installed.
The completed Rural Water Supply Project has established 88,235 water sources, while the completed Priority Rural Water Supply Project has installed 138,055 water sources, he added.
