Gender concerns in arsenic mitigation in Bangladesh : trends and challenges : report submitted to the Arsenic Policy Support Unit (APSU), Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Government of Bangladesh

The arsenic crisis in Bangladesh poses a significant water management challenge in the country. Arsenic mitigation has to involve not only water provision and water management institutions, but also address interlinked health issues and social implications of the situation. This research focuses on community-based drinking water options. While such options are being promoted throughout the country, various gender issues challenge the true success of such options. Detailing how certain community water options work, and why some do not, can shed light on the social dynamics that are important in sustainable solutions to the arsenic crisis. It is important to assess such concerns in order to achieve better information for policy-making and program implementation.

A field research study was undertaken in two arsenic-acute districts in Bangladesh where community-based options have been implemented, to collect data on gender aspects of arsenic including coping mechanisms, community management and health impacts, in order to do a comparison with an arsenic area where such external interventions have not been undertaken. Areas were selected with a high occurrence of patients and those with low prevalence of patients for comparison. This comparative study provides insights into the gender dynamics of water management, responses to and coping strategies vis-à-vis the arsenic situation. A detailed disaggregated gender analysis of the field data was undertaken.