Mitigation and Remedy of Groundwater Arsenic Menace in India

5.8 SummaryMitigation and Remedy of Groundwater Arsenic Menace in India : A Vision DocumentAll the technologies described in this document have their own merits and demerits andshould be refined to make them suitable and sustainable for a particular situation. The modificationsshould be based on the pilot-scale implementation of the technologies with objectives to:• Improve effectiveness in arsenic removal,• Reduce the capital and operation cost of the system,• Make the technology user friendly,• Overcome maintenance problems, and• Resolve sludge and arsenic concentrates management problems.Arsenic removal technologies have to compete with other technologies in which costappears to be a major determinant in the selection of a treatment option by the users. The ruralpeople habituated in drinking tube well water may find arsenic removal from tube well water asa suitable option for water supply. In many arsenic affected areas, arsenic removal may be theonly option in the absence of an alternative safe source of water supply. Awareness amongst thepeople and their whole hearted participation is very much essential to achieve success at fieldlevel. A proper watershed management approach with active participation from the people canalso prove to be a possible alternative in many areas to meet requirement of water for drinkingand irrigation purposes.NIH & CGWB 105