Abstract

By the end of 1990s, more than 90% of the inhabitants of Bangladesh were habituated to use tube well water for drinking, cooking and other household affairs. However, since 1993, tube well water of most parts of the country was found contaminated with arsenic at a much higher level than is permissible . Arsenic consumed through drinking water can cause various types of diseases, including melanosis, keratosis, gangrene and cancer of the skin, and internal organs. Under the circumstances, it is necessary to make the people aware of the danger that they are in. The government, UNICEF and many other NGOs have launched campaigns using the media and other alternative means to make people aware of the danger of arsenic in drinking water. In spite of such efforts, it has been observed that awareness of the people at the desired level is still a far cry. In this paper, the factors that affect awareness level of people have been explored through analyzing findings of five separate studies. The nature of awareness campaign, prevalence rate of arsenic related diseases, income, education level appeared as socio-economic factors that affect awareness level of the respondents