Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) yesterday certified three household as well as chemical and one non-chemical arsenic removal plants that can filter arsenic.

The BCSIR with the technical assistance of a Canadian NGO (non-government organisation) -- the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement -- has been evaluating five technologies for the last two years.

Of those, Alcan, Sidko, READ-F and Sono, validated in the field tests, achieved the BCSIR authorisation.

"We have temporarily okayed the technologies with some pre-conditions," said BCSIR Chairman Prof Md Amzad Hossain, who presented provisional verification certificates to the owners of the technologies at the BCSIR yesterday evening.

Earlier on July 20 in 2002, the government issued a gazette notification stating, "All chemical-based arsenic filters or removal plants must obtain certification from the BCSIR for being on the open market."

Following an agreement between the BCSIR and Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation Water Supply Project (BAMWSP), the BCSIR asked the latter in January 2002 to submit the first phase of technologies for Environmental Technology Verification -- Arsenic Mitigation (ETV-AM).

The BCSIR received 17 technologies for evaluation on March 9, 2002, of which it primarily selected five and observed the field tests in Chapainawabganj, Manikganj, Hajiganj, Bera in Pabna and Kolaroa in Satkhira.