Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India organized second International Water Conference on Emerging Technologies for Clean Water on 23-24 October 2014 where I spoke and presented the intervention designed and implemented jointly with IIT Madras in Murshidabad district when I was working as District Magistrate (district administrator). I am uploading pdf of my presentation. Localized installations of Arsenic free filters make them more acceptable and utilitarian for the community. Latest technology provided the point of entry and policy and community engagement gave the right anchoring for the project. Encouraging results on community participation in filter maintenance indicate that the right ingredients are available for a breakthrough in making the intervention sustainable.

1. The Second International Conference on Emerging
Technologies for Clean Water
Implementation of Arsenic Filter Project
in Murshidabad district of West Bengal
By
Rajeev Kumar
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
23rd & 24th October 2014

2. Water resources are finite
Source: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html

3. Water Issues
• What is water –
• Human right/ economic good/service/ social good/ environmental necessity!
• Water as a source of wealth and power in ancient Rome.
• Usage of water in India and its association with social status.
• Energy needs, navigation and irrigation needs for agriculture account for 70% of
the water usage.
• UN International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981‐90)
• MDG 2000 : 2015 target of halving the population lacking access to clean drinking
water and sanitation (World Summit for Sustainable Development, 2002).
• 2.3 billion people got access to improved water sources between 1990‐2012.
• 748 million people without access to clean water (2012) (source : UN).
• Sources:
• Piped water supply (54% of homes world wide).
• Public taps / protected springs / tube wells……………VIABLE
• Open unprotected sources (13% of homes world wide).
• 7.5 lpd per person for drinking / cooking is the minimum. 3

4. 4
Water Issues
• Diarrhea accounts for second largest share on Global Burden of Disease (GBD)
• Largely preventable
• Mostly borne by poor
• Implications for poverty since treatment costs, impaired growth, education,
labour productivity.
• Water Poverty Index (WPI) (2002) designed to determine where countries stand.
• Five measures – resources, access, capacity, use, environmental impact.
• Even rich countries like Japan and USA stand lower than the Scandinavian
countries, Canada and Switzerland.
• Studies on South Africa, Nepal, Madhya Pradesh indicate how water poverty
affects lifestyle of the people.
Reference: Sullivan, C., J. Meigh, et al. (2003). "The Water Poverty Index: Development and
application at the community scale." Natural Resources Forum 27(2003): Pp 189‐199.

5. Source : Science Vol. 296 21 June 2002

6. Health effects of Arsenic intake with water
• Occurrences (100 mn)
– International‐ US (3 mn), Latin America, Taiwan, Mongolia, Bangladesh (50 mn)
– Indian context‐ West Bengal (25 mn), other Eastern states in Gangetic valley region
• Literature survey:
– Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) (2000) –sample size = 11, 746 (largest
cohort study).
• Exposure levels to As content in water from well proportion to urine of participant.
• Urinary As measures accurately the body burden of As.
– Strong dose‐ response relation for pre‐malignant skin lesions (Argos, M., P. Faruque, et al.
(2007). "Socioeconomic Status and Risk for Arsenic‐Related Skin Lesions in Bangladesh."
American Journal of Public Health 97(5): 825‐831).
– Arsenic exposure is associated with impaired lung function even at low to moderate
dosage (Parvez, F., Y. Chen, et al. (2013). "Arsenic Exposure and Impaired Lung Function:
Findings from a Large Population‐based Prospective Cohort Study." American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 188(7): 813‐819).
– Mental health problems (Brinkel, J., M. M. H. Khan, et al. (2009). "A Systematic Review of
Arsenic Exposure and Its Social and Mental Health Effects with Special Reference to
Bangladesh." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 6(5): 1609‐
1619).
• Another 7 studies

7. Health effects of Arsenic intake with water
(contd.)
– Small but significant association between birth defects and As exposure (Kwok, R. K., R. B.
Kaufmann, et al. (2006). "Arsenic in Drinking‐water and Reproductive Health Outcomes: A
Study of Participants in the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Programme." Journal of Health,
Population and Nutrition 24(2): 190‐205).
– Significant occurrence of skin lesions, respiratory effects, skin keratoses and
hyperpigmentation (Haque, R. (2000). Health effects of arsenic contaminated drinking water
in West Bengal, India. Ann Arbor, University of California, Berkeley. 3001866: 133‐133 p).
– Individuals with skin lesions more likely to have Arsenic induced toxicity (Ghosh, P., M.
Banerjee, et al. (2007). "Comparison of health effects between individuals with and without
skin lesions in the population exposed to arsenic through drinking water in West Bengal,
India." Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 17(3): 215‐223).
– 3850 wells in 33 counties in II States with mean drinking water As content of more than 10
μg/l or more (Frost, F. J., T. Muller, et al. (2003). "Identifying US populations for the study of
health effects related to drinking water arsenic." Journal of Exposure Analysis and
Environmental Epidemiology 13(3): 231‐239).
– Males had significant higher cancer rates with higher exposure to As though not significant
when controlled for race, gender, BMI and population density (Han, Y.‐y., J. L. Weissfeld, et
al. (2009). "Arsenic levels in ground water and cancer incidence in Idaho: an ecologic study."
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 82(7): 843‐849).

8. Health effects of Arsenic intake with water
(contd.)
– Arsenic exposure is a big challenge in rural China from drinking water and indoor burning of
coal containing As (Yu, G., D. Sun, et al. (2007). "Health Effects of Exposure to Natural Arsenic in
Groundwater and Coal in China: An Overview of Occurrence." Environmental Health Perspectives
115(4): 636‐642).
– Nutritional deficiencies increases susceptibility to Arsenic related health effects (Deb, D., A.
Biswas, et al. (2013). "Nutritional deficiency and arsenical manifestations: a perspective study in
an arsenic‐endemic region of West Bengal, India." Public Health Nutrition 16(9): 1644‐1655).
– Intake of B Vitamin and antioxidants at greater doses may reduce risk of As related skin
lesions (Zablotska, L. B., Y. Chen, et al. (2008). "Protective Effects of B Vitamins and Antioxidants
on the Risk of Arsenic‐Related Skin Lesions in Bangladesh." Environmental Health Perspectives
116(8): 1056‐1062).
– Cooking rice also was a source of exposure to As besides water from contaminated wells
(Mondal, D., M. Banerjee, et al. (2010). "Comparison of drinking water, raw rice and cooking of
rice as arsenic exposure routes in three contrasting areas of West Bengal, India." Environmental
Geochemistry and Health 32(6): 463‐477).
– Very little As is secreted in breast milk even in women with high exposure to As (Fängström, B.,
S. Moore, et al. (2008). "Breast‐feeding Protects against Arsenic Exposure in Bangladeshi Infants."
Environmental Health Perspectives 116(7): 963‐969.
– Need for awareness generation and role of women (Ahamed, S., M. K. Sengupta, et al. (2006).
"An Eight‐year Study Report on Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater and Health Effects in
Eruani Village, Bangladesh and an Approach for Its Mitigation." Journal of Health, Population and
Nutrition 24(2): 129‐141).

9. 50 years of Arsenic standards

10. Permissible limit (ppb)
= Arsenic
Time (Years)
Decrease in the permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water, according to US EPA,
with time. The graph indicates a general trend.

11. Why nanotechnology?
10‐9

13. Murshidabad district
• Remote
• Populous
• Backward
• Hazards
– Multiple
– Arsenic effects
• Socio‐economic characteristics
– Poverty endemic
– Bidi making
– Agricultural labor
– Malnutrition endemic region

14. Comparative demographics of
2011 Census
Description Murshidabad West Bengal India
Population (lakhs) 71 913 12100
Population Growth (%) 21.09 13.84 17.7
Density/km2
1,334 1,028 382
Sex Ratio (per 1000
females) 958 950 943
Child Sex Ratio (0‐6 Age) 968 956 919
Average Literacy (%) 66.59 76.26 73.00
Male Literacy (%) 69.95 81.69 80.90
Female Literacy (%) 63.09 66.57 64.60

16. Prevalence of As in ground water
– Approx. 48% of 1,40, 150 tube wells had As content of more than
10 ppb in West Bengal (Chakraborti, D., B. Das, et al. (2009).
"Status of groundwater arsenic contamination in the state of West
Bengal, India: A 20‐year study report." Molecular Nutrition & Food
Research 53(5): 542‐551).
– Approx. 54% of 29, 612 tube wells had As above 10 ppb in
Murshidabad district (Chakraborti, D., M. Rahman, et al. (2005).
"Murshidabad—One of the Nine Groundwater Arsenic‐Affected
Districts of West Bengal, India. Part I: Magnitude of Contamination
and Population at Risk." Clinical Toxicology 43(7): 823‐834).
– Approx. 19% of 25, 274 people screened had arsenical skin
lesions in Murshidabad district (Mukherjee, S. C., K. C. Saha, et al.
(2005). "Murshidabad—One of the Nine Groundwater Arsenic‐
Affected Districts of West Bengal, India. Part II: Dermatological,
Neurological, and Obstetric Findings." Clinical Toxicology 43(7):
835‐848).

17. Arsenic affected cases
(2005). "Murshidabad—One of the Nine Groundwater Arsenic‐Affected Districts of West Bengal, India. Part II:
Dermatological, Neurological, and Obstetric Findings." Clinical Toxicology 43(7): 835‐848.

18. How new adsorbents are changing
the dynamics at ground level
Existing unit for iron and arsenic
removal – 20 m3/h
Uses activated alumina and iron
oxide (old generation of
adsorbents)
Existing unit for iron and arsenic
removal – 18 m3/h
Uses iron oxyhydroxide (new
generation of adsorbents)
Input arsenic concentration: 168 ppb
Output arsenic concentration: 2 ppb

19. Amrit filter
• Paradigm shift in filtration technology
• Nano technology to produce arsenic free
water
– Is bactericidal as well
• Highest efficiency
• Stand alone
• No power needed
• Unskilled
maintenance

20. Amrit filter (contd.)
• Technological advantages of ‘AMRIT’:
– Increased efficiency owning to nano surface makes it
have flow rate of 50‐70 litres per hour.
– Suitable for community usage
• Stand alone
• Power free
• Locations
– One filter with 8 cartridges can serve 100‐ 200
families for one to two years.

22. A glimpse of performance data for installations in Murshidabad
S.No Sample Name Input arsenic (ppb) Output arsenic
(ppb)
Number of days
running
1. Topidanga Jumma Masjid, Bhagwangola-II 31 0 30 days
2. Bhandahara Jumma Masjid, Bhagwangola-II 20.7 0.4 30 days
3. Horirampur Jumma Masjid, Bhagwangola-II 37 0 45 days
4. Dihipara Jumma Masjid, Bhagwangola-II 4.8 1.8 30 days
5. Bahadurpur High School, Bhagwangola-I 9.4 0.2 30 days
6. Charlabangola Higher Sec School, Bhagwangola-I 28.2 0.1 245 days
7. Mahisasthali Girls’ High School, Bhagwangola-I 0 0 30 days
8. Orahar Girls’ High School, Bhagwangola-I 0.53 0 10 days
9. Rabindratola BN Pandey High School, Bhagwangola-I 84.3 0 245 days
10. Karbalajamam Masjid, Berhampore 6.8 0 150 days
11. PHED office, Berhampore 32 0 10 days
12. Nabipur Bazar Jumma Masjid, Raninagar-II 1.3 0 60 days
13. Rukunpur Jumma Masjid, Hariharpara 25.6 2.2 60 days
14. Klyanpur Jumma Masjid, Domkal 64.7 0 200 days
15. Benadaha Mondalpara Hanafi Jamat, Beldanga-I 9.04 0 180 days
16. Maniknagar Jumma Masjid, Domkal 1 0.04 60 days
17. South Hariharpura Jumma Masjid, Hariharpara 5.47 0 60 days
18. Lochan Mati Danga Para Jumma Masjid, Hariharpara 14.6 0 150 days
19. Paschim Malipara Jumma Masjid, Raninagar – II 3.3 0.13 90 days
20. Khalilabad Jumma Masjid, Hariharpara 179.0 0 270 days
21. Bhatu Komnagar Masjid, Raninagar –II 67.89 0.22 360 days

23. Performance data from Murshidabad (continued)
S. No. Sample Name Input arsenic (ppb) Output arsenic
(ppb)
Number of days
running
23. Babaltali Jumma Masjid, Raninagar – II 10.7 0 180 days
24. Sargachhi Paschimpara Jumma Masjid, Beldanga – I 1.26 0.04 180 days
25. Pratappur Jumma Masjid, Hariharpara 27.19 0.13 180 days
26. Fakirabad Jumma Masjid, Domkal 24.67 0 180 days
27. Shialmari Jumma Masjid, Raninagar – II 287.5 0.09 240 days
28. Bhabta Ahelahadis Jumma Masjid, Beldanga 8.6 5.7 240 days
A glimpse of performance data for installations in Nadia
S. No. Sample Name Input arsenic (ppb) Output arsenic
(ppb)
Number of days running
1. Dhapadia Junior Madrasah 46.5 2.15 30 days
2. Khidirpur Shishu Shiksha Kendra 14.99 0 260 days
3. Junior Madrasah 12.7 0 60 days
4. Dhapana Board High School 14.96 0.6 45 days
5. Birpur Primary School 19.56 0 90 days
6. Bethuaduari JCM High School 4.56 0 45 days
7. Jugnuthala Primary School 23.36 0 60 days
8. Dahakula Primary High School 36.6 0 60 days
9. Bargachi Primary School Nagadi 9.56 0 90 days
10. Dahakula Primary School 22.7 0 60 days
11. BJ Kumari Primary School 5.9 0 100 days
12. Arijnagar Primary School 0.13 - 60 days
13 Patikpari Girls Primary School 9.6 0 60 days
14 Bawanipur Primary School Nagadi 0.49 0 60 days

24. Learnings from social
entrepreneurship model
• Information needed about
–Community
–Service infrastructure
–Policy systems
• Latest technology provided point of
entry
–Trigger for change

25. Learnings from social
entrepreneurship model (contd.)
• Dispersed locations
– Mimics water sources availability
– Saves time and cost and adds to the benefits stream
• “Tragedy of the commons”
– Community ownership
– Shared resources
• Adaptable to socially diverse landscape
– Negotiates social diversities
– Adjusted to local situation

26. Outcome?
• Awareness
– usage
– Utility of filters
• Community participation
– Maintenance
– Location
• Success = Ownership
– Replacement of cartridges
– new filters @ commercial terms

27. Thank you
Questions are welcome