A three-step treatment process involving (i) mild alkaline pH-conditioning by NaHCO3; (ii) oxidation of arsenite and ferrous ions by KMnO4, itself precipitating as insoluble MnO2 under the pH condition; and (iii) coagulation by FeCl3 has been used for simultaneous removal of arsenic and iron ions from water. The treated water is filtered after a residence time of 1-2 h. Laboratory batch experiments were performed to optimize the doses. A field trial was performed with an optimized recipe at 30 households and 5 schools at some highly arsenic affected villages in Assam, India. Simultaneous removals of arsenic from initial 0.1-0.5 mg/L to about 5 mu g/L and iron from initial 0.3-5.0 mg/L to less than 0.1 mg/L have been achieved along with final pH between 7.0 and 7.5 after residence time of I h. The process also removes other heavy elements, if present, without leaving any additional toxic residue. The small quantity of solid sludge containing mainly ferrihydrite with adsorbed arsenate passes the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test. The estimated recurring cost is approximately USD 0.16 per/m(3) of purified water. A high efficiency, an extremely low cost, safety, non-requirement of power and simplicity of operation make the technique potential for rural application. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.