Roundtable on Arsenic and Water Quality

As a follow-up to our meeting on Geology and Health: Solving the Arsenic Crisis in the Asia-Pacific Region, held 2-4 May 2001, Bangkok, ESCAP hosted the Roundtable on Arsenic and Water Quality, 8-9 March 2002, once again supported and co-organized with UNICEF and WHO. Sixty-two experts attended to share their first-hand knowledge of the situations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Lao PDR, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand and Viet Nam. Specific expertise from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the USA also ensured that the meeting was well rounded and all relevant aspects were highlighted.

The meeting once again confirmed that arsenic-contaminated groundwater used for drinking was an increasing threat in the region, and recommended a three-pronged approach to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of arsenic in drinking water supplies, viz., 1) early detection and timely medical treatment of of arsenicosis symptoms in areas suspected to contain arsenic-contaminated groundwater, 2) selection of suitable arsenic removal techniques, especiall those workable at household level, and 3) identification of alternative sources of safe water, such as rainwater harvesting, surface water purification, exploitation of still ample safe groundwater resources free of arsenic, by means of hydrogeological mapping combined with water quality surveys.

The meeting repeated the recommendation of the previous year: that ESCAP play a role in the much-needed regional coordination of the many initiatives by international organizations, specialized agencies, NGOs and government departments involved in addressing the issue of natural contamination of arsenic while not losing sight of other important contaminants such as fluoride and microbials.