According to a study conducted by the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, groundwater has been found to contain unsafe levels of arsenic.
Groundwater sources contribute to 45% of the Kathmandu Valley’s total water supply.
Although the study was conducted in 2005, the past three years have not seen any effort from authorities to treat Kathmandu´s drinking water for arsenic, and so the problem remains.
Neither has the public been made aware of the dangers of drinking arsenic-poisoned water.
The research team conducting the study collected 137 samples of groundwater extracted through deep boring techniques. This included taking samples from the water supply system catering to hotels, housing colonies, hospitals, and the food industry.
"Some beverage industries refused to give their water samples for testing, because they feared bad publicity due to the results," claims Makhan Maharjan of the ENPHO.
Arsenic is a highly poisonous water-soluble metalloid that is found in clay and stone. It is a kind of slow poison that shows its effects on the human body only after ten to fifteen years. Arsenic affects all bodily organs, and is a well-known cause of cancer. Other effects include diabetes, problems with blood pressure, miscarriage among women, underweight birth, and mental as well as physical defects.
In some areas in Kathmandu, arsenic concentration in underground water is as high as 256 parts per billion (ppb). The World Health Organization standard for safe arsenic level is 10 ppb (parts per billion), while the Nepal standard is 50 ppb.
According to the report, the Kalimati/Kalanki area contains one of the highest percentages of arsenic in Kathmandu. The report suggests this is due to black soil found in the area. Pre-monsoon concentration of arsenic in Kuleshwor was 74ppb, and 212ppb in Balkhu, making those areas particularly vulnerable to arsenic poisoning.
SN | Source | Arsenic concentration (ppb) | |
Pre-Monsoon | Monsoon | ||
1 | Kalanki | 212 | 111 |
2 | Kuleshwor Awash | 74 | 48 |
3
Related story
Minister Singh pledges arsenic free water in 20 Tarai districts
| Oriental Colony | 256 | 211 |
4 | Lalitpur Nursing Campus | 110 | 115 |
5 | Sunrise Homes | 158 | 84 |
6 | USAID | 69 | 44 |
8 | UNDP Complex | 190 | 136 |
9 | Sanchaya Kosh | 250 | 173 |
10 | Department of Livestock | 146 | 111 |
11 | Institute of Engineering | 169 | 37 |
12 | Prasuti Griha Hospital | 52 | 35 |
13 | Dashrath Rangashala | 54 | 36 |
Arsenic concentration of water samples from the distribution line
According to the report, the Kalimati/Kalanki area contains one of the highest percentages of arsenic in Kathmandu. The report suggests this is due to black soil found in the area. Pre-monsoon concentration of arsenic in Kuleshwor was 74ppb, and 212ppb in Balkhu, making those areas particularly vulnerable to arsenic poisoning.
Even drinking boiled water, considered a safe way to purify water in many Valley households, can still be dangerous as far as arsenic is concerned.
Boiling water might kill bacteria, but actually increases its concentration of arsenic, as water quantity lessens through evaporation during boiling.
"In our study we found that the arsenic level lessened as it went through the water supply line from the source. A study needs to be done immediately to test the arsenic level in tap water of Kathmandu, but no such study has been done," says Maharjan.
Neither have any studies been conducted to check the effects of arsenic poisoning among Valley residents.
The Arsenic Steering Committee of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation is the authority that gives permission to conduct research and make its results public. According to Maharjan, the committee forbade ENPHO to disseminate the 2005 findings to the public.
