Developing Communication Strategy for Arsenic Mitigation: What you need to know!

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Communication is key to sharing and interpreting messages and information. It enables us to consume information and convert it to knowledge. But how does one go about enabling it. There have been many communication strategies created in the past, some very effective and some not quite so. In the world of arsenic mitigation there have been previous strategies such as IRC and a review done by WHO. In an attempt to instigate collaborative action for creating communication strategies; Communication Strategist, Mr. D.K. Bose has shared with us in this blog a process that can be used to create a communication strategy with relevant stakeholders. Although designed for arsenic, this can be broadly adapted to other water quality problems as well. Happy Reading!

A number of questions need to be raised before one can create strategies keeping communication as the context. These questions must relate to both the supply and demand side of the issue.For example related to supply side questions could be:

  1. What causes arsenic contamination?
  2. Why such contamination is concentrated in some specific areas? Or is it that arsenic is an integral part of water and crosses certain limit to be called that the water is arsenic contaminated?
  3. Is arsenic contaminated water found only in groundwater?
  4. Is every water source equally affected?
  5. What is the role of government officials in mitigation arsenic problem?
  6. How does one know the existence of arsenic contamination? What kinds of tests are carried out?
  7. What kind of water usage causes arsenic to enter our bodies?
  8. Is there a way found to reduce arsenic contamination at the source of supply

There can be many more questions raised in understanding the supply side of the issue. Now let us look at the demand side of the issue. These could be:

  1. How do people know that the water is arsenic contaminated?
  2. What are their sources of knowledge?
  3. What happens when they consume, use or drink contaminated water?
  4. Does arsenic affect immediately or over a period of time?
  5. Is it contagious?social-network-people-global-viral-communication-26071753
  6. Is there any visible sign of such affect?
  7. What currently do they do when they realise that they have been affected by arsenic
  8. What is their current state of mind? Is that of :
    a.Indifference?
    b.There being no other option? Or
    c.Inadequate knowledge?
  9. If any of the above why so?
  10. What is their current relationships with government officials, both health and administration?
  11. Are there NGOs working in such areas? What are their experiences?
  12. Is arsenic affect seasonal?
  13. Who are the people most affected? Young, old, men, women, children, people who are in touch with water long hours and various such questions related to people?
  14. Is there some local method of getting rid of the affect?

Another area which needs to be understood very thoroughly is the communication environment in which people live, interact and relate to each other. In the absence of mass media questions such as:

  1. What are their sources of news, knowledge, entertainment and relaxation?
  2. What is their living environment like, in terms of home, external and internal exposures? What are other touch points such as shops, post office, health service related, schools or any other?
  3. Are there any congregation points? If any what kind, for what purpose, how many and for what period and periodicity?

Analysing such information and knowledge we can then arrive at the following observations:

  1. What are issues affecting the supply side.
  2. Similarly the issues concerning the demand side.
  3. Identify the problem that communication must address.
  4. Identify the specific audience group which needs to be in focus.
  5. Identify the points of contact best suited to carry messages of change.
  6. Since communication cannot be solution to all problem/issues a strategic approach will help bring focus to the issues communication must address.

Finally utilizing the above information gleaned the designed strategic approach will help develop:

  1. Media strategy.
  2. Message strategy and
  3. Monitoring and evaluation strategy

 Prepared by D.K.Bose Communication strategist -19th April 2016

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