Arsenic tube well check, Satkhira
A list of every tube well in a village (green and safe, red with arsenic, or with the paint gone) and a request to the public health engineering office to test them.
- 0/4 people
- About 8 hours
- 25
- points
About this task
In Satkhira, arsenic and salinity together make safe drinking water hard to find. Visiting every tube well in a village: green (safe), red (arsenic), or with the paint worn off or newly sunk. With the list, a request for testing to the upazila public health engineering office, and showing families at red wells the nearest safe source.
Why it matters
In many areas of Bangladesh tube well water carries arsenic, which over years causes skin disease and cancer. Two decades ago wells were painted red or green, but much of the paint is gone and many new wells were never tested.
What changes after
Every well in the village listed; the testing request filed; every family at a red well knows where to fetch drinking water.
Who can join
Anyone; local young people who know the village paths are most useful.
Step by step
0 of 3 steps doneHow to do it, in order.About 8 hours across all steps
- 1
List the wells
Owner, location, colour (red/green/none), how many families drink from it.
240 minখাতা
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet - 2
Request testing
The list of unpainted or doubtful wells to the upazila public health engineering office, with a received copy.
120 min
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet - 3
Tell the families at red wells
The nearest green well or safe source for drinking water.
120 min
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet
What you need
- A register · ২টি
When it counts as done
- Every tube well in the village listed
- The public health engineering office’s received copy
Proof required
- Document
- Photo
The full guide
What it takes, and how to do it
Never done this before? No matter. The cost, the timeline, who does what, whom to speak to, the day hour by hour, the risks and ready words to send are all here.
- About
- ৳1,100–2,500
- People
- 4
- Time in all
- 8 hours
- Age
- 14 or older
Best timeNovember to April, the dry season; village paths are dry and people are home more. Walk in the mornings.
PermissionNo permission is needed to list, but take each well owner's consent before photos. Testing is done by the upazila public health engineering office.
What it costs
Prices differ by district and season; this is a 2026 estimate. Keep receipts and put them in the proof.
| What | How much | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Register books2Where: Stationery shop | 2 | ৳80–150 |
| Pens and markers1 setWhere: Stationery shop | 1 set | ৳50–100 |
| Photocopies of the list and application20 pagesWhere: Photocopy shop | 20 pages | ৳3–5 |
| Travel to the upazila town2 people × 2 tripsWhere: Bus, CNG or auto-rickshaw | 2 people × 2 trips | ৳100–300 |
| Water and light snacks4 people × 2 daysWhere: Village shop | 4 people × 2 days | ৳50–100 |
| Total (about) | ৳1,100–2,500 | |
Getting ready, step by step
2 weeks before
- Split the village by hamlet into two parts; pairs for each.
- Rule the register: no., owner, location or landmark, colour (red/green/none), families drinking, year sunk, depth if known.
1 week before
- Visit the upazila public health engineering office to learn how to apply for tests and what details they need.
- Tell the union council's ward member.
Listing days
- Visit every well, speak to the owner, fill the register; photograph the paint mark.
- Mark separately wells with worn paint, new wells, or any doubt.
The week after
- File the application with the list of unmarked and doubtful wells at the public health engineering office; take a received copy.
- Show families at red wells the nearest green well or safe source.
A month later
- Follow up the application at the office.
- When results come, tell the families and update the register.
Who does what
Lead and applicant1
Liaises with the public health engineering office, files and follows up the application.
Listers (in pairs)2
Visit each well, talk with owners, fill the register and take photos.
Talking with families1
Calmly explain to families at red wells and show the nearest safe source.
Whom to speak to first
Upazila DPHE (public health engineering) office
- Why
- Testing wells for arsenic and marking them is their work.
- How
- Give a written application to the sub-assistant engineer or officer in charge; take a received copy.
Union council and ward member
- Why
- They have a role in lists and allocations for new safe water points.
- How
- Give them a copy of the list and ask that it be discussed at a meeting.
Community clinic or upazila health complex
- Why
- For check-ups and care if anyone has dark spots or hardened skin on hands or feet.
- How
- Advise such people to go there; do not diagnose yourselves.
The day, hour by hour
- 08:00Team gathers; registers, pens, charged phones; hamlets assigned.
- 08:30Start well-by-well in the first hamlet.
- 10:30Break; the lead checks both pairs' registers.
- 11:00Second hamlet; include wells at the mosque, school and market.
- 13:00Lunch and rest.
- 14:00Remaining wells; talk with families at red wells.
- 16:00Write the register up cleanly; a separate list of unmarked and doubtful wells.
How to take the proof
- Photos of several wells showing the red or green mark, or its absence, clearly.
- Photos of register pages; cover owners' names if they prefer.
- A photo of the received copy with the office's seal and date.
Common first-time mistakes
- Counting only roadside wells; ones inside homesteads and new wells get missed.
- Not noting how many families drink from each; the office cannot set priorities.
- Testing with a kit yourselves and announcing results.
- Filing the application without taking a received copy.
What can go wrong, and what to do
An owner is upset or fears the well will be shut.
Explain that we only list and close nothing; red-well water is fine for washing, just not for drinking or cooking.
Someone says boiling or alum removes arsenic.
Gently correct it: boiling does not remove arsenic; drink from a safe well or another safe source.
Months pass with no response to the application.
Follow up with the received copy; if needed, raise it through the government services line 333.
A team member paints a well themselves.
Never; marking is for the public health engineering office after a test. A wrong colour puts lives at risk.
Ready words to send
Copy, fill the [brackets], send.
Call for volunteers (WhatsApp/Facebook)
Every tube well in [village] will be listed: which are green, which red, which unmarked. Unmarked wells will be put to the upazila public health engineering office for testing. Date: [date], 8 am, meeting at [place]. We need 4 people who know the village paths. To give details of your own well, tell [lead's name]. Remember: boiling does not remove arsenic. To join, send a request on the task page on Desher Kaj. No money is collected.
Testing request to the public health engineering office
To The Sub-Assistant Engineer / Upazila Engineer, Department of Public Health Engineering, [upazila], [district] Subject: Request for arsenic testing of tube wells in [village], [union]. Sir/Madam, We are [team name], a volunteer team on the Desher Kaj platform. On [date] we listed [number] tube wells in [village]: [number] green, [number] red, and [number] with the mark worn off or never tested. We respectfully request arsenic testing and marking of the unmarked and doubtful wells in the attached list, which gives each well's location and how many families drink from it. Yours sincerely, [name], lead, [team name] Date: [date] Attached: list of tube wells ([number] pages)
After it is done
- Keep a copy of the register with the union council and the team; add new wells as they are sunk.
- When results come, tell each family; if red, show the nearest safe source.
- Once a year, check whether marks are fading; if so, tell the office again.
Questions people ask
Can we test it ourselves?
Field kits exist, but for a reliable result the public health engineering office’s test is best. Our work is the list and the request.
Does boiling remove arsenic?
No. Boiling does not remove arsenic; drink from a safe well or another safe source.
Can I join if I cannot stay the whole time?
Yes. Say in your request which step or which hours you can do. The lead will give that step to you.