Arsenic Removal Unit - Cost Figure

Each unit costs approximately Rs. 60,000 ($ 1400) and has the capacity to serve two or three hundred households. Villagers within a mile radius of these units are using this water for drinking and cooking. Intermittent regenerations (once in four to six months) of these units with caustic soda and acid have been standardized. Contrary to reservations in certain quarters, the villagers had no major difficulty in comprehending the underlying operating principles of these treatment units and are now collectively involved in day-to-day operation of these units in all eight locations. On the average, each family pays approximately Rs. 15/20 (less than 50 US cents) per month for the treated water to cover all related expenses for the upkeep and maintenance of these units while the poor are exempt.