An estimated 20 million people in rural Bangladesh are living without access to clean water. Their water is currently contaminated with unacceptable levels of arsenic, a toxic heavy metal.
The government has known about this issue for the last 20 years and has yet to act to appropriately stop it from happening.
What Bangladesh needs is more investment in rural, government wells, which go deeper and are not contaminated by arsenic. However, government officials, instead of investing in wells, are siphoning money to their political allies and supporters to ensure they maintain power.
The victims here are the most vulnerable of the population: children. Arsenic causes higher rates of infant mortality, developmental delays and neurological impairment in children. On top of that, it is estimated that, in 2012, 43 000 people died from arsenic related illnesses.
However, we can stop it! Sign today to stand for clean water and government transparency. By signing today you can help support the millions of Bangladeshi families that are suffering.
*Photo Credit: By Balaram Mahalder (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
To Sheikh Hasina,
As a person who is deeply concerned about the health of all people, I am gravely concerned about the current water crisis in your country, where an estimated 20 million people are drinking arsenic-contaminated drinking water.
This does not need to happen. By investing money in government wells in rural areas affected by the contamination, your government can eliminate the arsenic-contimanation and prevent thousands of deaths yearly.
I urge you to invest in water infrastructure and your population's right to access to clean water.
[Your Comment Here]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
