News: Arsenic pollution kills 13 Bangladeshis
Dhaka, Thursday - Health teams in southern Bagerhat district have sealed
many shallow wells after they tested positive for arsenic, a poisonous,
semi-metallic chemical element. They have asked local authorities to
sink deep tubewells on an emergency basis.
"Thousands of people are exposed to grave threats because of pollution
or poisoning by high contents of arsenic in sub-soil water,'' one doctor
with the Public Health Department said.
Doctors said they had detected "definite cases of arsenic poisoning''
during a survey on Tuesday at some villages in Ishwardi sub-division in
Pabna district, also in the north.
Dr. Fazlul Huq, civil surgeon in Pabna, said he had found around 100
"definite'' cases of arsenic poisoning, with patients suffering from
chronic skin rashes and deteriorating health.
"We visited at least 50 households in some five villages and each family
has one or two members with positive symptoms,'' he told Reuters on
Thursday.
Dr. Mohammad Shah Newaj, a skin specialist at the Pabna Hospital, also
confirmed several deaths and illnesses caused by arsenic.
Health officials in Dhaka said they would soon send a high-level expert
team to Bagerhat, Ishwardi and neighbouring areas to investigate arsenic
pollution.
The government may also seek help from international agencies to
determine the causes of the pollution and ways to overcome it, one
official said.
REUTER
Comment:
Arsenic Pollution of drinking water in Bangladesh is an alarming news.
The source of such pollution should be detected without any delay.
Please come forward and help the earth fighting pollution.
M.H.
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