IMPORTANCE OF DRILLERS MAPPING FOR ARSENIC RISK REDUCTION IN BANGLADESH

Drinking water supply in Bangladesh is mostly dependent on privately drilled tube-wells. Groundwater provided microbial-safe water but increased the risk of long-term exposure of arsenic as the shallow groundwater in most part of Bangladesh contains elevated concentration of arsenic. Reducing the arsenic exposure is a challenge for Bangladesh in Achieving the SDG goal 6. The finding that groundwater arsenic concentration correlates with the color of the aquifer sediments can help reducing arsenic exposure if properly implemented nationally at the field level. More than 80% of drinking water well in Bangladesh are drilled and installed by local drillers who do not have any formal training or education on drilling, geology or hydrogeology. Since identification of sediment color does not require much expertise training and engaging the local drillers can play vital role in scaling up safe water coverage in Bangladesh. Drillers engagement requires identification of the drillers, assessment of their knowledgebase, and training them on the selection of arsenic safe aquifer layer based on sediment color. In this study, we identified that the local hardware shops at the Upazila/union level can be considered as drillers hub because all drillers in a community is connected to these shops. We interviewed all drillers in several Upazilas. Results suggests that the local drillers were well aware of the local variation of geology and groundwater salinity. They were also aware of the arsenic contamination issue, but lacked any expertise to find alternative. After initial assessment of the driller’s knowledge training was provided on how to select the best available layer based on sediment color to reduce the risk of arsenic. Trained and certified drillers were found to be performing much better in installing arsenic safe wells than others. Drillers mapping, training and certification can therefore play a vital role in reducing arsenic exposure in Bangladesh.