The groundwater pollution caused by arsenic in a number of Asian countries has led to a major environmental crisis. Some recent estimates indicate that more than 35 million people in West Bengal (India), Nepal and Bangladesh are potentially at risk from drinking arsenic-contaminated water. The crisis has its roots in another worthy effort to fight water-borne diseases that had impacted this tropical region for a long time. Acute health problems, such as gastrointestinal diseases and infant mortality, were attributed to drinking microbiologically-contaminated surface water. It was widely believed that using groundwater would easily circumvent the problem because groundwater at certain depths is not exposed to microbiological contamination. It is now known that the alluvial aquifer that underlies the Ganges-Brahamputra river basin contains arsenic in mineral form. Exploitation of groundwater from tube wells for drinking water and irrigation purposes has resulted in mobilizing the arsenic.

The arsenic contamination is a complex regional problem, involving both technological and policy challenges, whose solution requires clear thinking and a comprehensive strategic response. This strategy has to explicitly involve short- and long-term measures. The most obvious short-term measure is the provision of “safe” water to the affected population. A number of options for this are available at hand. Providing immediate medical support for the recognized patients is also a short-term measure. Long-term measures should include significant development of the public health sector to cope with the long-term consequences of the large population exposed to arsenic-polluted water. Training and capacity development in remote and rural areas becomes a key concern. These measures should also address provision of water supply to affected areas in the context of a broader water resource management policy. Welfare of the affected population and providing them sufficient social support is a key element of long-term policies. This should include awareness raising of the general public as well as providing them information about how to cope with the arsenicosis-related problems on a day-to-day basis. Having such social support would also entail long-term capacity development of in the social welfare sector.