Tarai drinking water flush with arsenic

BARA: It has been found that the drinking water pumped out of tube-wells in 20 districts in the Tarai contains 5.72 per cent arsenic.

This fact is based on a survey "Arsenic Reduction and Potable Water Purification" carried out by Nepal Red Cross Society, Bara and Public Health Organisation. The conclusion was reached after conducting a study of 11,20912 tube-well samples in 20 districts in the Tarai.

According to last year's statistics of National Arsenic Directorate Committee, Nawalparasi is the hardest hit by the arsenic contents in water. Arsenic is often dubbed as a slow poison. The VDCs in Bara district have the largest number of arsenic victims.