ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: In recent years, the arsenicmenace has come to threaten the lives of severalmillions in the state of West Bengal in India. A number of technological options have been developed to supply arsenic-safe water to affected communities. These can be conveniently clubbed under the categories of alternative technologies for supplying arsenic-free water, community level arsenic removal plants, and domestic filters. While each of these alternatives has its own strengths and weaknesses, this paper demonstrates that the common challenges determining their fate constitute a triad of ‘appropriateness’, ‘accessibility’ and ‘sustainability’ and that these are essentially linked to the question of their management at the level of the community. However, an understanding of these issues is yet to be adequately developed and addressed. Based on a detailed primary study in 35 affected villages in the state, this paper outlines these major ‘software’ issues and argues that there is a need to develop a strategy centred in the ‘management approach’ in order to ensure that arsenic-safe water is accessible and is used equitably and effectively by all exposed to the problem.
32.1 INTRODUCTION
