Arsenic Contamination in Asia

Abstract

Groundwater is an important resource, especially for rural popula-tions, yet there is now evidence that unsafe levels of arsenic are present in many Asian countries, ranging from Bangladesh to China and Vietnam, with health risks for an estimated 65 million people. The impacts cut across many sectors – from water supply, to irrigation, health, and education. The World Bank and the Water and Sanitation Program have com-pleted the first comprehensive international study examining re-sponses to the issue of naturally-occurring arsenic in the groundwater of Asian countries. It presents state-of-the-art knowledge on arsenic in Asia, and was developed based on extensive literature reviews, stakeholder and development partner meetings, and a questionnaire survey in the countries. The study, Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in South and East Asian Countries, , , , , shows that governments and donors have been seeking to address arsenic contamination for over a decade and a considerable amount of research has been carried out into the causes and effects of this contamination and possible mitigation measures. Yet, there are still significant uncertainties which have to be factored in when attempting to define a balanced policy response.