Acute drinking water crisis grips coastal people

Most of the one lakh people living in 17 coastal islands belonging to Baufal upazila under the district are suffering for want of safe drinking water as around 40 operational tube-wells in the areas are too inadequate for the demand.

Momela Begum, Fazila Begum and Noor Bhanu of Char Miajan were seen collecting drinking water from a tube-well in front of Char Miajan Government Primary School, about one and a half km from their house.

"We have to carry water from this tube-well daily, which is very hard for us," said Momela, a housewife.

Failing to get any tube-well even within such a distance, a large number of people have to use water of river, canal or pond for drinking and cooking.

"I use this water for cooking, washing and even drinking as the nearest tube-well is about three km away from my house," said Rina Begum, a housewife of Char Roysaheb island under the upazila, while collecting water from a ditch near her house.

"I have to use canal water in absence of tube-well in the area," said Nurjahan Begum of Char Nimde island.

Crisis of drinking water turns serious especially from November to June when there is scanty rain, said Noor Bhanu of the area.

According to Baufal upazila public health engineering office, 18 of the 178 tube wells in the 17 islands are permanently out of order.

But Md Delwar Hossain, manager for 'Watson' project of NGO Slob, which is working in these islands for water and sanitation, said only 35 to 40 tube- wells are functional in the 17 coastal islands with about one lakh people.

Of them, the people of Char Basudebpasha, Char Miajan, Char Roysaheb, Char Nimde, Char Wadel, Char Algi, Char Shahjalal, Char Diara, Amorkhali Char, Char Kachua and Char Hade are the worst sufferers, sources said.  

Many tube-wells including those at Char Wadel Primary School, Char Diara Kachua Primary School, Char Wader High School, Amorkhali Primary School, and Char Wader ashrayan project are out of order, locals said.

"Minimum Tk 50,000 is needed to set up a tube-well. It is beyond our capacity as most of us are landless," said Forkan Munshi of Char Amorkhali.

"We suffer from water borne diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery round the year as we have to drink unsafe water," said Babul Mridha, another resident of the same island.

Babul Mia of Chandradweep in the same upazila said there are only four tube-wells for 13,000 people living in the island.

Md Ali Ashrab, Baufal upazila public health engineer, said steps will be taken to sink tube-wells to ensure availability of pure drinking water for the coastal people.