ABSTRACT
The pay-for-use testing was piloted in Mehepur Sadar. It is possible due to several key factors. First, UNICEF has an on-going water, sanitation and hygiene program that engages the government and local NGO participation, making it possible to carry out relevant activities as an add-on. Second, the request for testing and marking came from the local Government. UNICEF provided technical support, such as suggesting the pay-for-use method, and also monitored the effectiveness of switching. Third, other development partners are on board. At the field level, The Japanese International
1 INTRODUCTION
A Bangladesh national drinking water quality survey conducted as part of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) of 2009 (BBS and UNICEF, 2011) has found that 22 million people are still drinking water that does not meet the Bangladesh drinking water standard for arsenic of 0.05 mg L−1, and that 5.6 million of them are at particularly high risk because they are exposed to water with more than 0.2 mg L−1, arsenic. A new analysis of health and economic impact of arsenic at the current exposure level has shown that arsenic is causing 1 in 14 adult deaths in Bangladesh, and the work output lost due to this mortality burden alone is resulting in a GDP loss equivalent to USD 6 to 20 billion dollars over the next 20 years (UNICEF, 2011).
