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Arsenic menace haunts thousands in Meherpur

Published : Saturday, 5 August, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 329
MR Alam
The photo taken recently shows Executive Director of Manab Unnayan Kendra Asaduzzaman Selim handing over medicines to arsenic patient Sukjan Nesa of Alampur village under Meherpur Sadar upazila. photo: Observer

The photo taken recently shows Executive Director of Manab Unnayan Kendra Asaduzzaman Selim handing over medicines to arsenic patient Sukjan Nesa of Alampur village under Meherpur Sadar upazila. photo: Observer

MEHERPUR, Aug 4: Thousands of people in three upazilas of the district have been passing their days amid arsenic menace which has been detected in the underground water of the district.
More than hundred people died of arsenic-related diseases, and of them at least 50 died at Alampur village under Sadar upazila and Bholadanga village under Gangni upazila, according to sources.
Meherpur is near the border with West Bengal of India which has been detected as arsenic-prone area. Thousands of people of the district have been attacked with arsenic-related diseases.
People of the arsenic-affected areas are drinking arsenic-contaminated water despite knowing its bad consequences and due to lack of any alternative source of safe drinking water.
The situation is alarming at villages Alampur, Amjhupi, Beltolapara, Buripota, Ujalpur, Subidpur under Sadar upazila, Bholadanga and Tentulbaria under Gangni upazila, and Taranagar and Joypur under Mujibnagar upazila.
According to the information of the Health Department, there are 2,079 arsenic-related patients in the district. But the department does not have information or data whether anybody died of arsenic-related diseases.
Locals and public representatives of the area said, more than hundred people died after being attacked with arsenic-related diseases and not less than 10,000 people are suffering from the
diseases.  
While visiting the areas recently, it was found that some ring-wells were installed by the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) and a few non-government organisations (NGOs) installed some water treatment plants which are defunct now for different reasons.
The DPHE sources said, before 90s, people of the areas did not have any conception about arsenic. They gathered idea when they went to the physicians with skin diseases and from mass media.  
A meeting on arsenic was held at Alampur village under Amjhupi union in Sadar upazila by an NGO Manob Unnayan Kendra (MUK) on July 27 last from where this correspondent gathered untold sufferings of hundreds of arsenic-affected people.
The meeting disclosed that 95 per cent hand tube-wells of 15 villages under three upazilas of the district are arsenic-contaminated. The alarming situation is prevailing at Alampur village under Sadar upazila. There are 460 families with 2,175 inmates who have been drinking arsenic-contaminated water finding no other alternatives. In the meantime, 18 people of the village already expired being attacked with arsenic related diseases.
One Sukjan Nesa of the village was attacked with the deadly disease cancer after being attacked with arsenic and gangrene in her left leg. Due to pecuniary condition she did not go for any treatment. Nobody would come forward to her as bad smell had been emitting from the affected parts of the body. The leg became decomposed.
At that time, MUK came forward to her with environment specialist Dr. JTA Chowdhury Tarikh from Dhaka who found the heart burning situation and asked MUK to arrange immediate treatment giving financial support from his own.
She was sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on April 25, 2017 and on experiment her foot was amputated in order to prevent the spread of cancer. Now she has been undergoing treatment staying at her village home. She is leading a subhuman life presently. She has none to take care for her and no earning member except a mentally disabled daughter. She sought help from the government and philanthropists of the society.
It may be mentioned that there are many severe patients in the village. It has been learnt that Bazlu, son of Mofizuddin, Siddik, son of Arzel, Sakem and Asadul- sons of Sadek of Bholadanga village, Ali Hossain, Moni and Palu- sons of  late Mohasin Ali, Elias, younger son of Palu, Razzak, brother of Mohasin and his son Mozaffar and Rocky, sister Renufa, Asad and Razzak, son of Awlad Hossain, and Asad's wife Jhunu, Kafiron Nesa, wife of Kalam, his daughter Reshma Khatun, Elahi Baksha, Asad Ali, son of Asad Ali, Minarul and six sons of Kalachand Mondal, that is, Jahir Hossain, Ektar Hossain, Muktar Hossain and Ramzan Ali, Azeda Khatun, wife of Ramzan including 20 more people of Alampur village died of arsenic-related diseases during the last 10 years.
Among the affected patients, Abul Hossain, son of Mollick, Jalar Uddin, son of Panchu, Abul Hossain, son Johiruddin, Jibrail Hossain, son Pachu Mondal, Ismail Hossain, Salimuddin, Rahed Ali including more than 100 people left their hope of lives as no change is found after medical treatment.
Many villagers informed that the DPHE failed to arrange safe drinking water and the Health Department does not give any advices. People are not getting any fruitful result after treatment as there is no arsenic-free water.
Rina Khatun, a housewife of Alampur village, said that the people of the neighbouring villages do not establish any relationship with the people of Alampur village for arsenic menace. Meanwhile, some settle marriages have been dismissed. Some newly married wives came to husband's house for the first day of wedding and did not turn up again due to arsenic menace.   
Nurul Kabir, executive engineer of DPHE said, "Some ring-wells have been installed under their Rural Water Supply Project for safe drinking water. Once upon a time, World Bank would help for the same but at present we are not getting their help. We will arrange water treatment plant as soon as possible."
GKM Shamsuzzaman, civil surgeon of Meherpur, said, "On information, we made list of arsenic-affected people and supplied medicine. It was done with the assistance of a foreign organisation. The programme was closed and so we could not work properly. But we gave primary treatment to those who came to us."
On the other hand, the sentient people of the society did not agree with the civil surgeon as he does not stay here in Meherpur.





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