End of Project Workshop:
Bangladesh Environmental Technology Verification Support to Arsenic Mitigation (BETV-SAM)

Proceedings and Presentations

Day 1

Bangladesh Environmental Technology Verification – Support to Arsenic Mitigation
Project Directors, DPHE & CEA

Arsenic Removal Technology Field Testing & Performance Verification
Ali S. Amiri, Senior Technical Director, OCETA
Azizul. I. Kazi, Director, BCSIR Dhaka Laboratories

Water Safety Planning and Arsenic Removal Technologies
Executive Eng, R & D, DPHE
Program Coordinator, BETV-SAM

Arsenic Wastes From Treatment of Arsenic Contaminated Water
M. Feroze Ahmed, Professor, Bangladesh Univ. of Engineering & Technology

Risk Assessment for the Disposal in Rice Paddy of Arsenic Waste Generated From Using ARTs
Ali S. Amiri, Senior Technical Director, OCETA

Capacity Building in Verification
Jim Hamilton, Field Manager, BETV-SAM
Shajahan Siraj, Scientific Officer, BCSIR ARD VU

Laboratory Capacity Building
Dr. Nasim Sultana, Quality Assurance Manager, BCSIR ARD
Peter Fowlie, Laboratory Capacity Specialist, OCETA

Deployment of Arsenic Removal Technologies (DART) Project in Bangladesh
Mi Hua, WES Specialist, UNICEF

Day 2

Evaluation of Arsenic Removal Technologies in West Bengal, India ( June 1999- June 2006)
Dipankar Chakraborti, School of Environmental Studies Jadavpur University, Kolkata-32, INDIA

Arsenic Situation and Mitigation in Cambodia
Dr. Davin Uy, Director of Research and Development, Institute of Technology of Cambodia

Arsenic Testing and Mitigation Initiatives in Nepal
Bipin Dangol, Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO), Kathmandu, Nepal

Break-Out Groups

Purpose of the Workshop

Arsenic, at concentrations exceeding drinking water standards, has been found in groundwater that is being used for drinking, cooking, and other uses by millions of people in many regions of the world. This problem is particularly acute for people in Bangladesh. It is vital to identify the full range of options that will enable the people of Bangladesh to have access to arsenic-safe potable water. One such option is the use of technologies to remove the arsenic from well water.

The purpose of this Project has been to participate in the provision of arsenic-safe water to people in Bangladesh, through:

• The verification of selected arsenic removal technologies.
• Building capacity in local laboratories and other institutions to carry out key functions associated with verification and long-term monitoring of arsenic removal technologies
• Carrying out other tasks necessary for the development of a sustainable capacity in Bangladesh to verify and monitor arsenic removal technologies.

The project will end its operations in Bangladesh in December. The second round of arsenic removal technology verifications is nearing completion, along with all related work in water safety planning for arsenic removal technologies, analytical laboratory capacity building, technology performance monitoring and finally, capacity building in all aspects of the verification process.

The purpose of the November 22-23 workshop was to:

1. Present the key findings, results and lessons learned from this project.
2. Touch on activities, issues and lessons learned in neighbouring countries, related to arsenic removal technologies.
3. Discuss some of the larger policy implications of this Project's results, as they relate to the future of arsenic mitigation in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries also affected by arsenic contamination of groundwater.

More Details:

The Workshop program is HERE.

Day 1 of the workshop highlighted the main components of the BETV-SAM Project, including how the work was carried out and the results.

Day 2 of the workshop placed the work of the Project in a broader context, with respect to (1) similar activities in neighbouring countries and (2) broader policy issues that the work has raised in Bangladesh.