Revised February 2007
Cupful by cupful, the people of Bangladesh and other developing countries are being poisoned by their drinking water from tube wells. Tens of millions of Bangladeshis—as much as a quarter of the total population—use tube wells that provide water containing 10 to 50 times the amount of arsenic considered safe. It is unclear how many tube wells there are in Bangladesh, but since 1998, an additional four million have been installed.
To help solve this massive public health problem, the National Academy of Engineering with the generous support of The Grainger Foundation, offered Grainger Challenge Prizes of $1,000,000, $200,000, and $100,000 for first, second, and third place for the design and creation of a workable, sustainable, economical, point-of-use water treatment system for arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and other developing countries. The contest is now closed to new entries. In April 2006, the most promising 15 competitors were invited to enter the testing phase of the competition.
The first Grainger Challenge Prizes, was awarded February 20, 2007 in Washington, D.C.