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A clean water solution for Bangladesh's arsenic poisoning crisis - BBC News
1 2024-08-15T14:32:30+00:00 Matthew Deacon e6c0bc2c3a5afcc5fd084388cdb29f3a67cf2186 138 3 Human Rights Watch says up to 20 million people are at risk from arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh where millions of people have suffered from what it calls "the biggest mass poisoning in human history". But could these purifying beads made out of resin be the answer? The social entrepreneurs behind Drinkwell have created a clean water solution for Bangladesh's arsenic poisoning crisis. But what’s their secret? plain 2024-08-15T14:39:04+00:00 October 17, 2017 BBC News Bangladesh Matthew Deacon e6c0bc2c3a5afcc5fd084388cdb29f3a67cf2186This page is referenced by:
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A Beacon of Hope: Solutions and Aid Sent Bangladesh's Way
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Solutions in the Making
Fortunately, there has been progress towards finding solutions for this issue. There have been multiple efforts at making purification devices to clean the contaminated water. For instance, Professor Abul Hassam from George Mason University invented a water filter that is affordable and does not acquire electricity. The national engineering academy awarded him one million dollars for his achievement. He plans to use the money to supply Bangladesh with water filters. Additionally, the for-profit company DrinkWell has been creating affordable filters that people in Bangladesh can use to clean their water. DrinkWell filters water by passing it through multiple tanks. They have established over thirty facilities in Bangladesh and India. Their goal is to reach five million people by 2020, with help through partnering with the government and NGOs.Progress Towards Codifying Clean Water as a Fundamental Right
Although the government of Bangladesh does not have the funds to fully implement a solution to the arsenic crisis, there is discussion that they are obligated to. In 2002 the United Nations Committee of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights issued a general comment recognizing the human right to water. More specifically, the right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible, and affordable water. However, the international legal regime has been unable to develop a way to enforce this right to water. The Bangladesh Water Act of 2013 ensures the development, management, exploration, distribution, use, protection, and conservation of water resources. Unfortunately, Bangladesh has had trouble enforcing this Act as anyone who has committed an offense under the Act is entitled to bail. The Act also does not clearly deal with salinity issues, even though that is the biggest issue when it comes to Bangladesh’s drinking water. Overall, while some actions have been taken to ameliorate or put an end to the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh, enforcement is far from perfect, and this issue very much still exists today.