Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Lehigh University , Bethlehem , Pennsylvania 18015 , United States.
WIST, Inc., Brighton , Massachusetts 75063 , United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2019 Feb 5;53(3):1078-1086. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b02523. Epub 2019 Jan 23.
Although unknown 25 years ago, natural arsenic contamination of groundwater affects over 50 countries and up to 200 million people. The economic viability was analyzed and modeled of eighty-eight community-based arsenic mitigation systems existing for up to 20 years in India and Bangladesh. The performances of three community-based arsenic mitigation systems that are ethnically different and separated across two different countries were monitored closely for 24 months of self-sustainable, long-term operation at WHO standards through local, paid caretakers. Based on data from the use of hybrid ion exchange materials (HIX-Nano) and the broad set of field operations, Monte Carlo simulations were used to explore the conditions required for self-sustainable operation and job creation in low-income communities (<$2/day/capita). The results from field data and cost modeling provided clear evidence of economic growth and job creation for systems managed by villagers' committee through collection of monthly tariffs. Ethnicity and religion did not have perceptible impacts on day-to-day operations or cumulative long-term revenue. The cost of the treatment technology (i.e., HIX-Nano) had minimal impact on the operational profitability, while number of customers and water delivery significantly affected profitability. Local employment generation with income significantly higher than poverty level was the most enduring outcome and led to enhanced sustainability.
尽管在 25 年前还不为人知，但地下水的自然砷污染影响了 50 多个国家和多达 2 亿人。分析并模拟了在印度和孟加拉国存在长达 20 年的 88 个基于社区的砷缓解系统的经济可行性。通过当地雇佣的付费护理人员，在符合世界卫生组织标准的情况下，对三种基于社区的砷缓解系统进行了为期 24 个月的自我可持续、长期运行的密切监测。这三种系统在种族上不同，分布在两个不同的国家。基于使用混合离子交换材料（HIX-Nano）和广泛的现场操作数据，采用蒙特卡罗模拟方法探索了在低收入社区（每人每天<$2）实现自我可持续运营和创造就业机会的条件。来自现场数据和成本建模的结果清楚地证明了通过每月收取费用由村民委员会管理的系统实现了经济增长和创造就业机会。种族和宗教对日常运营或累计长期收入没有明显影响。处理技术（即 HIX-Nano）的成本对运营盈利能力的影响很小，而客户数量和送水服务显著影响盈利能力。以显著高于贫困水平的收入创造当地就业机会是最持久的结果，也带来了更高的可持续性。
