My colleague from SaciWATERs and I recently visited arsenic affected areas in Bihar and also conducted a state level consultation meeting on water quality issues in Patna. The objective of the visit and the meeting was to understand water quality issues in the context of Bihar. During our week long stay we visited villages in West Champaran and Khagaria districts which are some of the most Arsenic-affected areas. It was encouraging to see communities in these areas gradually moving towards the traditional dug wells and avoiding deep tube wells for drinking water, the latter being a major harbinger of Arsenic and Iron in these areas.
Through community efforts and with the assistance of Megh Pyne Abhiyan and consortium of local NGOs people are reviving old dug wells which were out of use till recently. The communities are also well aware and utilising the benefits of rain water harvesting. All these have been possible due to the concerted efforts of local NGOs working in these areas since more than a decade now. The visit helped us to understand these interventions and explore how to take them forward and work towards arsenic mitigation in collaboration with individuals and organisations in Bihar.
It was encouraging to learn how normal guava leaves are used to test the presence of iron. The glass below on the left side contains water brought from a dug well. The one in the middle was brought from a tube well and the third contained bottled water. The result is right there in front of your eyes
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