Pilot and Demonstration Activities
Greater Women’s Involvement in Implementing Arsenic Mitigation Measures in Rural Areas
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Given the opportunity to participate and develop their capacity, women have often served as catalysts for change. This is particularly true in the provision of safe drinking water to households and communities, where groups of women tackle the tasks of designing, implementing, and sustaining water supply projects. This PDA will highlight how women’s involvement can turn the tide for Bangladesh, the country whose people faces the greatest risk of arsenic poisoning from their drinking water.
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| PDA SNAPSHOT |
| Project Site |
Bangladesh |
| Cost Estimate |
$49,973.00 |
| Status |
Processing |
| Approval Date |
2008/02 |
| Completion Date |
- |
| Category |
Rural services |
| Type |
Institutional Development |
| Proponent |
Kenichi Yokoyama, South Asia Department |
| Partner |
Environment and Population Research Centre (EPRC)
Dr. Bilqis Amin Hoque, Director, and Sufia Khanam, Co-Proponent |
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BACKGROUND
 Despite its drinking water supply posting the highest risk for arsenic contamination in the world, progress in arsenic mitigation in Bangladesh has been slow.
The country’s 2004 National Policy for Arsenic Mitigation and Implementation Plan for Arsenic Mitigation established the Emergency Water Supply Program to ensure safe sources of drinking water in areas severely affected by arsenic contamination. A 2005 report highlighted the urgency of covering majority of severely affected villages in the next 5 years, but admitted that the potential shortfall can be up to 1,000 villages.
The National Policy also promotes two types of arsenic mitigation technologies:
- Alternative technologies that include deep and shallow tubewells, improved dugwells, rainwater harvesting systems, and others that use arsenic–free water sources
- Arsenic removal technologies that have been certified by the government
But both these options depend on materials not produced nor easily available in the country.
This PDA will develop an innovative model for delivering improved, sustainable, and safe drinking water through greater involvement of empowered local women’s groups. It will also develop the capacity of women’s groups for operations and maintenance (O&M) for them to effectively manage water supply systems in arsenic affected areas. These sites are located within ADB’s Southwest Area Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management Project (SIWRPMP).
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OBJECTIVES
This PDA works to:
- Assess women’s roles in managing water and their involvement in community decisions, particularly on the design and implementation of water supply interventions in the arsenic affected villages
- Illustrate the advantages of women’s involvement in decision making and implementation processes for arsenic mitigation
- Establish training mechanisms to promote the implementation of the World Health Organizations’ Water Safety Plan (revised for the local context)
More specifically, the PDA aims to:
- Create access to safe drinking water options and reduce the level of arsenic contamination to less than 50 % in the more than 80 contaminated clusters of villages
- Increase awareness on arsenic mitigation and water safety among 70% of households and schools in the affected areas
- Enhance community, local government, and women’s participation in water supply management and hygiene promotion
- Establish and strengthen women’s groups to enable them to operate and manage alternative technologies for drinking water supply identified as viable by the community
- Enhance ownership of options installed by communities through the establishment of water option committees
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EXPECTED RESULTS
- Women are educated on arsenic mitigation issues and water safety
- About 50% of affected people have access to safe drinking water
- Poor women members of women’s groups are involved in income generation
- All men and women become aware of arsenic mitigation and water safety
- Water safety options are installed after informed choices by the communities and properly operated and maintained with support from the local women groups
- Communities are equipped with appropriately trained institutional support (i.e., women’s groups) for required O&M
- Improved knowledge about existing and feasible women’s roles in drinking water management
- Tested contribution to the development of a logical appropriate model for sustainable, rural, and safe drinking water
- Improved knowledge about appropriate arsenic mitigation water technologies
- Improved knowledge about WSP implementation based on women-led initiatives
- Training material for water safety
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REPORTS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS
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