Project	:	Arsenic Mitigation Programme,West Bengal Indo - German Public-Private Partnership Project For providing arsenic free drinking water to rural communities.
Location	:	Kolkata,West Bengal
Duration	:	2003-2006
Goal	:	To contribute to improving rural living conditions and development opportunities(while applying the new GOI SWAJALDHARA conditions.)
Implementing Partner/Agency (s)	:	German technical cooperation (GTZ),Harbauer India(P) Ltd, PHED (GoWB)
Description	:	The Indo-German project Arsenic Mitigation West Bengal is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative approved by both the Governments of India and West Bengal and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project is being implemented under supervision of PHED (GoWB) by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) (public partner) and Harbauer India, [P] Ltd (private partner). It is connected with the ASEM Programme based in Delhi. Twenty years ago, groundwater arsenic contamination and symptoms of arsenic related ailments were first noticed in patients residing in three villages of two districts in West Bengal. Today, this seemingly minor arsenic incident has grown to a menacing size due to lack of proper controlling mechanisms. Arsenic is both toxic and carcinogenic. Inorganic forms of arsenic dissolved in drinking water are the most significant forms of natural exposure. Organic forms of arsenic that may be present in food are less toxic. Clinical manifestations of arsenic poisoning begin with various forms of skin disease, and proceed via damage to internal organs ultimately to cancer and death. As per studies made in 2000 a minimum of 10 million people including about 2.5 million children belonging to 9 out of the total 18 districts of West Bengal were drinking arsenic contaminated water which contains arsenic more than the maximum permissible limit set by WHO (which is 50 mg/l) and about 300,000 were already suffering from arsenic related diseases. About 40 million inhabitants of these 9 districts are extremely at risk from arsenic toxicity. Many people with moderate to severe arsenical skin lesions have been found to develop cancer eventually. Previously, it was thought skin cancer is the common type of cancer caused by arsenic. But lung, liver, colon and other cancers have been found among those suffering from chronic arsenic toxicity. Nowadays whenever villages come to know of the high concentration of arsenic in their tube-wells, they try to drink water from other safer sources. However with time more and more shallow tube wells are getting contaminated. This is also true for deep tube-wells. The media has described the arsenic contamination of groundwater in large parts of the Indian state of West Bengal and the adjacent Bangladesh as "the biggest poisoning calamity in the world" The Initiative promotes latest technology ADSORP-AS by HARBAUER-INDIA, a ferro hydroxide adsorbent filter granulate developed at Technical University Berlin, Germany, which combines excellent arsenic removal abilities with optimal operational and disposal characteristics and affordability. Eventually up to 7000 single source installations supplying arsenic free drinking water to up to 2.3 million people can be installed.In 2003 a consultation with NGOs,external support agencies and the state governments was held and a possible roadmap for the future initiative was introduced.It was suggested that all reform initiatives in the rural drinking water sector should be brought under the Swajaldhara scheme. It is a consensus to apply the new Swajaldhara conditions of the Indian Government, whereby the users would contribute 10% and Government 90% of the necessary funds for installation. Subsequently a considerable reduction of newly affected cases through arsenic is expected to happen. Up to 80% of the population in project areas are expected to have ensured clean drinking water supplies and to pay newly introduced water charges to cover the cost of operation and maintenance. Key elements of the German Partners contribution are: • To facilitate the 10% beneficiaries contribution through Micro Credit Facilitation and NGO-implemented awareness raising and capacity building. • To provide effective and high standard but low cost technology. • To provide respective operational training to the users through NGO´s. Key elements of the Indian Partners contribution are: • To facilitate the establishment of user group formation through NGO´s and facilitate site selection. • To provide Micro-Credit Schemes to beneficiaries at affordable conditions. • To provide respective complementary Swajaldhara-Government funds. The Indo-German Project "Arsenic Mitigation West Bengal" is a Public Private Partnership Cooperation of 3 years duration. The primarily contributing public partners are: • Indian Side: PHED (Public Health Engineering Department) and Panchayati Raj Institutions of selected Districts • German Side: GTZ (German Agency for Technical Cooperation), commissioned by the BMZ (German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development) The primarily contributing private partners are: • Indian Side: Harbauer India [P] ltd., Rural Banking Institutes • German Side: Harbauer GmbH, Berlin
Contact	:	Dr. Hinnerk Bartels GTZ Project Office "New White House" 38 Suyojana Housing Society Lane E, Koregaon Park, Pune 411 011 Phone: 020 / 26139762, 26127738 Fax: 020 / 2613-9763 E-mail: Hinnerk.Bartels@gtz.de, bpal@cal2.vsnl.net.in Dr. Juergen Bischoff Director, GTZ-ASEM A-33, Gulmohar Park New Delhi - 110049 Ph: 011 / 26611021, 26528840 Fax: 011 / 26537673 E-mail: bischoff@asemindia.com HARBAUER-INDIA Office, 24 Jodhpur Park Kolkata 700 068 Phone: 033 / 24237833 / 24237228 Fax: 033 / 2483-8092
Additional links	:	www.harbauer-india.com www.gtzindia.org