An overview of arsenic contamination in groundwater of Nepal and its removal at household level

Abstract
A recent test result of about 17000 terai tube wells of Nepal on Arsenic, as published by the National Sleering Committee on Arsenic, show that nearly 31% of the tested lube wells have exceeded the WHO slandard of 10 and 4% have exceeded the Bangladesh, China, India, and Interim Nepal Standard of 5O . One of the best treatment options at household levels is a 3-Gagri (Pitcher) filter to remove arsenic and iron since no foreign materials and chemicals are required in this method. The arsenic removal effìciency of 3-gagri fillers installed at Tilakpur and Thulokunuwar villages of Nawalparasi (Hotspot) district have been observed initially as 84.5% and 765% (Day 0) and reached maxìmum upto 94.8% (Day 2) and 85.2% (Day 14), respectively. The iron and turbidity removal efficiency of theses filters are very promising as in both cases the initial iron content of l9 reduced to zero. Likewise, initial turbidity of 25 NTU reduced to less than 5 NTU in Thulokunwar. The filter can produce about 160-170 of liters of water per day