Our Integrated Work Strategies

Integrated Program :The following strategies are taken for implementing of integrated program comprising of detection and testing , awareness , mitigation and medication. 

A. Detection & Water Testing : As we all know the permissible range of arsenic in drinking water as per WHO guidelines is 0.01 mg/litre( though 0.05 mg/litre is taken as permissible amount in our country) . But while surveying in the district of Nadia at Block in Karimpur I we found there are presence of much higher level of arsenic in tube well drinking water. For example , in the mouzas Madhy Gopalpur and Tarapur in Karimpur- I arsenic levels found 0.237 mg/litre and 0.181 mg/litre in 23.47 meters and 21.95 meters depth tube wells respectively . So it is our first step in strategy formulation to make out the total number of tube walls in a particular village in a certain block and test the water of those tube walls by testing equipments – enables us to detect the number of tube walls affected by arsenic contamination. After detection of the arsenic prone tube wells – these tube wells are marked and aware the villagers not to use them for drinking purposes . If the tube wells containing arsenic are detected and effective communication can be established among the villagers to use the arsenic free water contains in tube wells , 50 % of the problem arising from arsenic contamination can be reduced or solved at the first stage of action . 

B. Awareness & Education : We realized that approximately 60 to 70% tube wells are made by private owners and in most of these tube wells the depth is within 80 to 120 feet and it is also found that arsenic is more prevalent at the depth of 80 to 100 feet. It may so happen that if in a village 20 tube wells are existing out of them 15 may have arsenic contaminated water (which can be detected by simple arsenic detecting kits-costing only INR. 20). Sometimes it is found that tube walls which are mostly not deep enough inside the ground affected by arsenic contamination , are mostly found in abundance and the safe water tube wells are very rare in number . So it is not possible for the villagers to depend on fewer tube well for safe drinking water . They have to learn the other / alternative ways to prevent arsenic contamination or use it effectively by decontamination process. In the awareness and education program we generally conduct camps at village level where we usually pass on awareness messages to general public and students to prevent arsenic contamination and demonstrate physically how to make water free from arsenic by using Bleaching powder and Alum .Finally the fresh water for drinking is obtained by filtration process which is done by separating the sedimentation part in the lower end in bucket by pouring the upper layers of water into the filtration equipment .

C. Mitigation :  In Mitigation strategy we distribute the filter equipments which are made up of clay pots and filter candles. The cost taken from the villagers of the filters are varied – sometimes it is 50% subsidized or more according to the buying capacity(bulk quantity ) of the units of filters by any members of the villagers. By using these filters and decontamination method before-said people can avoid successfully the dreadfulness of victims of arsenicosis.

D. Medication: Though Testing , Awareness and Mitigation are the prime strategy in our activities , we are also arranging camps to provide treatment (possible by us )and further guide them to those who have already victimized by the arsenicosis to different Govt.Hospitals .As we know arsenicosis has an effect in several wide variety of diseases from skin to liver, lungs and kidney and most of them are the targets for cancer , so it is our inevitable part of strategy of action to try to facilitate for free medical advise and treatment within our limitation . 

Formation of Community Groups : In the formation of the community groups when we impart training through our awareness camps , we select some people who were really interested in these voluntary activities to share or cooperate with us to provide or join in our awareness program camps to others in other places . These community people or group would ultimately take part in imparting awareness program camps and they would also select some people when they are promoting arsenic awareness process and so on . So there are a Network of people and the network of groups who spontaneously spread chain-wise like a tree-structure through out the Blocks and Villages to make successful awareness campaigns with our active direction through delegation and control and their effective team work and spirit .