A/HRC/15/55* the result that now four fifths of the population are aware of the danger posed by arsenic in the water. However, concern was expressed that the system of marking the wells is not always clear for people with intellectual disabilities, and more efforts are needed to ensure that these people do not drink arsenic-contaminated water. Arsenic poisoning is readily apparent; lesions appear on the skin, resulting in social stigma, especially for women suffering from arsenicosis. Awareness-raising efforts have been helpful to address this stigma, but they must be sustained as the stigma persists. Furthermore, although people might be aware of the danger of drinking water contaminated by arsenic, they may have few options for safe drinking water, because other sources are too far away or otherwise inconvenient. Since arsenic is colourless, tasteless and odourless and only affects one’s health after a long time, some people drink arsenic-contaminated water simply because of the few alternatives available. 62. The Deployment of Arsenic Removal Technologies programme is aimed at the promotion of Government-approved arsenic filters. Three filters have been approved for use at the household level. Through the programme, individuals can buy the filters for between 3,500 and 5,000 takas. For the very poorest, the filters are available at 10 per cent of the full price. Nevertheless, the interlocutors with whom the independent expert met indicated that, where people cannot afford filters, they will continue to drink arseniccontaminated water. The Government may wish to consider including arsenic-mitigation efforts in its cash transfer policies to reach more people. 63. Since arsenic is present mostly in shallow-tube wells, another Government response to this issue has been to find alternative sources of water, including deep-tube wells, surface water, rainwater harvesting and pond sand filters. According to the 2006 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, just over half of the people surveyed (54.5 per cent) indicated that they use arsenic-free tube wells, 21 per cent reported using boiled surface water (from canals, ponds and rivers), 5 per cent rely on rainwater and 2.4 per cent use pond sand filters. The UNICEF SEWA-B project promotes these alternatives, using community participation models to determine which alternative might be best in a given situation. 64. Deep-tube wells are considerably more expensive than shallow-tube wells, and it is taking some time to implement the Government policy focusing on digging more deep-tube wells. Furthermore, the placement of a deep-tube well is crucial, since it is generally built for community use. Women, especially, must be consulted, since they usually collect the water, and they may face security risks if the well is too far from their home. In some cases, deep-tube wells are constructed on the land of a wealthy person in the community, and it was reported that the poor people in the community may feel that their access to the water point depends on the neighbour’s good will. Human rights, are, however, an entitlement, not a matter of charity. 65. In addition, overreliance on ground water may exacerbate the problems that Bangladesh is facing. The Multiple Indicator Cluster survey of 2006 shows that most water is still extracted from groundwater resources, with 88.7 per cent of the population reporting that they rely on groundwater for their personal and domestic needs. In Dhaka, 86 per cent of water is from groundwater and 14 per cent is from surface water. The independent expert was informed that overextraction of groundwater can lead to arsenic being released from rocks into the water, and can also lead to other environmental problems, and must therefore be monitored to ensure the sustainability of these interventions. Furthermore, there is simply not enough groundwater available to keep pace with the rising water demand in Bangladesh. Agriculture is the main user of groundwater (70 per cent) in Bangladesh; alternative sources of water for irrigation should therefore be explored. The Dhaka Water Authority explained that it was exploring the use of rainwater to recharge groundwater resources, however these plans do not appear to have been implemented yet. 16 GE.10-15451