Key Partners

• The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR)

  BCSIR played a central role in the success of both the ETV-AM Program and the BETV-SAM Project. As a result of a decision by the Government of Bangladesh that was gazetted in 2002, no arsenic removal technology can be sold in Bangladesh without first being verified by BCSIR.

  BCSIR contributed professional staff, laboratory facilities and expert oversight to the project. It has established a Verification Unit comprised of BCSIR scientific professionals. In addition, BCSIR drew on a Technical Expert Committee comprised of leading Bangladeshi scientists from local universities, to advise on matters related to the testing, verification and certification of arsenic removal technologies submitted for verification by their proponents.

  The larger aims and objectives of BCSIR are as follows:
  (from: www.bcsir.gov.bd)

  1. to initiate, promote and guide scientific, industrial and technological research having a bearing on problems connected with the establishment and development of industries and such other allied matters as the Government may refer to it.
  2. to establish, maintain and develop laboratories, workshops, institutes, centres and organization for furtherance of scientific and industrial research with the object of utilizing and exploiting the economic resources in the best possible manner;
  3. to give grants-in-aid for specific scientific, industrial and technological research schemes and projects of the Universities as by law established and other research institutions;
  4. to adopt measures for the commercial utilization of discoveries and invention resulting form the researches carried on by the Council, Universities or by any other research organization;
  5. to establish and award fellowships in areas of research covered by the Council;
  6. to collect and disseminate information of scientific, industrial and technological matters and publish scientific papers, reports and periodicals on such matters;
  7. to encourage establishment of industrial research organizations;
  8. to maintain contact with scientific, industrial research organizations;
  9. to take out patents and make arrangement for the industrial utilization of research processes developed in the institutes and laboratories established by the Council;
  10. to establish such libraries, museums, experimental plantations and herbaria as the Board may consider appropriate;
  11. to do such other acts and things as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Ordinance."

  Visit the BCSIR website

   

• Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE)

  The Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) is a national agency under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (MLGRD & C). Its focus is to provide environmental sanitation, safe water supply and hygiene education throughout the country except in the cities of Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chittagong.

  DPHE coordinates activities related to the implementation of the BETV-SAM project, oversees the activities being implemented, and provides a Project Director acting on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh.

  DPHE is also the line agency responsible for the long-term surveillance of verified arsenic removal technologies used in Bangladesh. In this capacity, DPHE is actively involved in the development and pilot testing of a long-term surveillance system for monitoring the use of arsenic removal technologies in Bangladesh, framed in the form of Water Safety Plans for Arsenic Removal Technologies.

  Visit the MLGRD & C website

   

• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

  CIDA has provided financial contributions to both the Environmental Technology Verification Arsenic Mitigation program (ETV-AM) and the Bangladesh Environmental Technology Verification-Support to Arsenic Mitigation (BETV-SAM) Projects. CIDA is the lead partner on behalf of the Government of Canada. CIDA also monitors the Project's performance.

  Background information on CIDA is given at: www.acdi-cida.gc.ca,
  and more details on CIDA's work in Bangladesh are found at:
  www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/bangladesh-e#2.

   

• Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA)

  OCETA was the Canadian Executing Agency (CEA) for this project. One of OCETA's divisions is ETV Canada (Environmental Technology Verification Canada). ETV Canada operates the Canadian Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program, on behalf of the Government of Canada. It holds the license from the responsible Canadian Government department, Environment Canada, to operate that Program. Through this arrangement, ETV Canada has the authority to verify technologies on behalf of Environment Canada.

  OCETA built BCSIR's capacity to carry out all functions associated with the testing and verification of arsenic removal technologies. BCSIR acquired all the skills required to field test, verify and certify an arsenic removal technology.

  Background to Verification and OCETA / ETV Canada Expertise

  Note: ETV-AM and BETV-SAM verification are not equivalent to ETV Canada verification.