Arsenic in groundwater

From Appropedia

Information on Arsenic contamination of groundwater can be found at Wikipedia.

[edit] Removing arsenic from groundwater

Development consultant Dipankar Chakraborti claims that arsenic removal plants (ARPs) installed in Bangladesh by UNDP and WHO were a colossal waste of funds due to breakdowns, inconvenient placements and lack of quality control.(From the Wikipedia article - see that article for references).

A simpler and less expensive form of arsenic removal is known as the Sono arsenic filter^WP using an arrangement of 3 pitchers or buckets, cast iron turnings, sand and wood charcoal.

[edit] Testing for arsenic?

Is there an affordable and practical way of testing water for arsenic levels, suitable for poor and remote areas? This is important for knowing when to treat, and also checking whether a Sono filter is currently working. If so, please add information or link from here. If not, this could be an important project.^{suggested project.}