Essay On Arsenic Problem in Bangladesh
Introduction: Bangladesh is a developing country infested with so many problems. Pollution is one of the major problems in Bangladesh. It is actually a threat to our environment. There are mainly three kinds of breakdowns – air, water, and sound pollution. Arsenic is recently been added to water pollution.
Arsenic
problem identified in Bangladesh: at present arsenic pollution is an
anxiety for Bangladesh. Arsenic is a fatal and mortal poison. Now, this element
is detected to exist. This poison mixes with water, especially with tube-well
water, and pollutes it. Now, this element is detected to be present in large
quantities in the shallow tube-well water of many districts of Bangladesh. Today,
nearly all people are dependent on tube-well water in rural and small urban
areas. Within two decades of time in Bangladesh, especially in the northern areas,
many people have been found to be affected by arsenic toxication by drinking
tube-well water contaminated with arsenic. Arsenic contamination of groundwater is now a hazard in Bangladesh. In acute arsenic problematic areas, more than 90 percent of the shallow tube wells have been found to produce contaminated water exceeding 0.05 mg/L of
arsenic.
How
it pollutes: in chemistry, arsenic is referred to as a violently
poisonous white compound of the brittle element. It is a poisonous material that
causes a severe malfunction in the human body when mixed with water. Arsenic is
found primarily in tube-well water and makes the water polluted. There are a
number of causes of arsenic pollution. Due to some chemical reactions taking
place underground, the metal arsenic changes into liquid arsenic and
pollutes the soil. This arsenic soil pollutes the underground water which is
extracted via a tube well. Another reason for arsenic pollution is the excessive
use of tube-well water.
Effects
of arsenic pollution: Arsenic has got some life-threatening effects.
Different parts of the body such as the skin, heart, stomach, liver, and kidney are
badly affected by arsenic. It can rapidly affect and attack different cells. It
can cause the skin to peel off and can bring about rapid hair loss. Constant
itching, cough, and ophthalmia are also signs of an arsenic attack.
Medical
Treatment: The Treatment of an arsenic attack is not satisfactory in Bangladesh
and available medicine is also very expensive. But first of all, it is very
necessary that the patients should immediately be removed from the source of
arsenic.
Preventive
measures: As we know prevention is better than cure, and a number of steps can be
followed to avoid arsenic attacks. First of all, people should be made alert
of arsenic pollution. The affected tube wells must be pointed out and banned
for public use. Alternative sources of water should be found. Instead of tube-well water, rainwater and water from the earth's surface should be used.
Water should be boiled before drinking and so on. At present, an antidote is
discovered to purify water polluted by arsenic. To get rid of destructive
arsenic contamination, our government, UNICEF, Grameen Bank, and BRAC are trying
their level best. The World Bank has agreed to extend all possible help to
mitigate the arsenic problem in our country.
Conclusion: Arsenic pollution has assumed a serious problem in Bangladesh. Yet we hope that by dint of the united efforts of the government of Bangladesh and the international organizations, the problem of arsenic contamination can be removed soon from our country.
