Reviewed from: Chakraborti et al. Journal of the Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics, 67
(2), 201,235-266.
Socio-economic implications of groundwater arsenic pollution
Arsenicosis also has an economic impact that undermines health and well-being of both the
individual and the family (Hanchett 2004, Roy 2008). The people affected by arsenic poisoning
suffer from health hazards and economic barriers, unhealthy and strained “within” family
relations and also confront severe mental stress at the social front. WHO points out (World
Health Organisation 2000) that social problems arising from arsenic pollution create pressure on
the economy of the affected areas. There is a social cost of arsenic pollution. As the symptoms
of arsenicosis become evident, often various agonizing social issues arise such as the affected
persons may be sacked from their jobs, the affected children sometimes debarred from school,
the affected girls denied of marriage and the married women often face problems in the their
marital life and even divorce ensures. The affected people are quite often debarred from social
functions and are boycotted socially being mistaken as patients infected with contagious
diseases. Their condition precludes the most simple social interactions that often leads to
depression and suicide. There is evidence that even burial rites have been refused to some of the
affected persons (Hassan et al. 2005).
During the initial onset years of arsenicosis, visible physical symptoms are none or quite nonspecific so that nobody can realize or suspect that he/she has been ingesting the poison until the
water sample is being analyzed for arsenic level. Nonetheless, common symptomatic indications
and clues are – gradual loss of energy, physical weakness, lethargy, diminishing work ability,
uneasiness in the stomach, burning sensation on the body, itching in sunlight and gradually
progressive debilitation, etc.
With arsenic poisoning setting-in and spreading over gradually, the total agricultural hours
would decrease. Thus, there would be an obvious drop in the income of the affected person or
family. The affected gradually lose their work capability and mostly retire early due to physical
illness. Also, illness forces the person out of work and many are caught in the debt trap of the
local money lender who charges them exorbitant interest rates ranging between five and 10 per
cent per month. Often villagers lose all their earthly possessions, including their housing, trying
to the pay the money lender back (Chowdhury et al. 2001). Thus, with the passing of years
income declines steeply, while the burdensome medical expenses shoot up sharply.
Consequently, the poor becomes poorer still selling off their land or meager belongings so as to
make ends meet. The self cultivator being physically unable to withstand the strain, has solely to
depend on hired agricultural laborers, consequently has to incur a cost and perhaps has also to
face a substantial drop in the production. Finally, the sufferer pathetically becomes a burden to
both his family and the society. Not only the affected families suffer the income loss but the
overall economy of the affected areas is doubtlessly pressurized. With huge number of such
exposed “at risk” villagers, the rural-economy is bound to enter the inevitable vicious cycle of
poverty and ill-health. Thus in short, the chronic arsenic contamination of groundwater is a sort
of “orphan” disease or the so called “poor-man’s disease” that exerts a severe physical and
mental stress and dampens rural economic growth of the affected areas in West Bengal, further
worsening the poverty status of the rural infrastructure.
Besides identifying arsenic affected zones, SOES research team also conducted case studies to
understand dimensions of welfare loss from different angles. We have visited numerous villages
of arsenic affected areas in West Bengal and Bangladesh and reported socio-economic stress and
trauma of the arsenic affected households. Due to the malfunctioning of existing arsenic safe
water supply options in addition to arsenic increasingly penetrating into the food chain as well as
contaminating even more group water sources, people are facing grave socio-economic fallouts.
This is being indicated by the following schematic diagram.
An example of income loss: Rustam sheikh, aged 45, occupationally a brick-maker, has been
living since long in the village-Kadamtala, GP-Katlamari-1, District-Murshidabad, West Bengal.
He narrated his shocking and painful sustenance when we visited him some time age. Earlier, he
could make approximately 700-800 bricks per day, thus earning monthly about Rs. 4800 (about
US $ 96) on an average. This was sufficient for him to manage his family and they did live
joyfully. Over the years, arsenicosis grabbed him with its initial physical weakness and illness.
Gradually, arsenical skin lesions began to appear as he had observed with many of his friends
living in neighboring villages. With tears swelling up and rolling down his eyes and a bleeding
heart he told that presently he can make only 300-350 bricks per day. This implies more than
50% income loss. The venom of arsenicosis has snatched away and shattered the peace that the
family once enjoyed.
Arsenic contamination
in Ground Water
Arsenic contamination in
Irrigation Water
Exposure through Food
Chain
Exposure through
Drinking/Cooking
Water*
Health Hazards
(Arsenicosis)
Arsenic and
Superstition
Arsenic and
Suicide
Arsenic and Helpless
Mother
Arsenic and
Unemployment
Arsenic and
Poverty
Mother
Arsenic and Early
Deaths
Arsenic and
Marital Discords
Arsenic and
Child Labour
Arsenic and
Unproductiveness
Socio-economic and Welfare Loss
*People also use hand tubewell water for food such as rice-water, fried rice with water and
lemon-water etc. (Chowdhury et al. 2001).
This is only a single micro level example of chronic arsenic exposure impact on income. But if
one would estimate the total loss due to arsenic poisoning, then one is sure to obtain its adverse
impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country.
The existing body of knowledge regarding arsenicosis management has hardly taken the matter
towards success. So far, no specific treatment for chronic arsenicosis has been discovered. The
only way of improving the condition os the arsenic exposed and affected cases is to lower the
consumption of arsenic contaminated water through proper provisions for arsenic safe potable
water. Rigorous health production function study (Roy 2008) in context to West Bengal shows
reduction of arsenic concentration by 1 µg per liter can generate benefit of Rs. 49 per month per
household for 100 households. This parameter of health benefit can be used to estimate return
from any arsenic removal project based on local arsenic concentration level, population in
command area etc. using this methodology an estimation of the total welfare gain from the
arsenic mitigation projects for affected districts as well as for West Bengal as a whole have been
estimated. The amount of welfare gain stands Rs. 2418 millions per annum for West Bengal if
we can provide arsenic safe water in the affected districts.
Welfare loss due to arsenicosis should be extensively estimated exploring form various angles
represented in the schematic diagram. In other words a rigorous study on social cost and
economic cost due to arsenic poisoning should be estimated. Studies should be designed from
macroeconomic standpoint, with proper considerations to the time-variant dynamicity of the
grave problem.
REFERENCES
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S.K., Quamruzzaman Q. and Chakraborti, D. (2001). Groundwater arsenic contamination
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