A small-scale arsenic and iron removal plant
Practical Action
A cover made of corrugated iron (CI) sheet should be used to keep the plant (chamber
materials and water) safe and free from dust and other contaminates. The cover could be
hinged on one end so that it may be lifted for inspection and cleaning and put back in place
afterwards.
If the height of the existing tube well (water sources contaminated with arsenic and iron) is
too low then it should be raised up to the level that water can be easily flow into chamber
C1 through a perforated PVC pipe.
Fill chambers C1, C2 and C3 with filter media as described in Table 1.
Note: Proper and timely curing should be maintained during construction for strength and
durability of the plant.
Figure 2: Construction of AIRP.
Photo: Moin/DRIK.
Figure 3: Typical Chamber of a plant.
Photo: Moin/DRIK.
AIRP operation and maintenance
Steps for operation set up:
Close end caps of all outlet pipes at first
Pump water from the contaminated tubewell to flow though the inlet pipe into chamber C1
Continue pumping to fill chambers C1, C2 and C3. When the water level in chamber C4
rises to the same level as other chambers, then the end caps of the outlets should be
opened to flush out water from all chambers. This should be repeated at least three times
After the initial three flushing cycles, the plant should be ready for operation. Water may be
collected from the pure water outlet in chamber C4 for drinking and cooking
Performance monitoring of the plant:
For a quick check, collect a glass of water from chamber C4 and put some green pieces of
plucked guava leaves in it and observe the water
If no changes occur in the water, the performance of the plant is satisfactory and the user
could use water for drinking and other cooking
If the colour of the water in the glass darkens within 30 to 60 seconds, the performance of
the plant is not satisfactory. In this case, renew the filter media and repeat the set up
process
For a more confirmatory test, use an arsenic field kit to test the treated water
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