Underground water in Teknaf, Ukhia receding fast

Locals struggle to source water for daily needs as thousands of shallow tube wells installed in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas in 2017 to meet the water demands of more than a million Rohingya refugees have been taking a toll on ground water levels.

The host community is unable to secure water from 2,000 tube wells out of around 3,000 tube wells as the water level in the areas has dipped, according to data from the local union parishad (UP).

The Roghingyas used to each collect an average of 20 litres of water a day when they first arrived. As such, demand for daily water for 11 lakh Rohingyas stands at 2.2 crore litres at the Rohingya camps in the two upazilas.

Due to the water crisis, the amount they are able to draw has now reduced to about 15 litres, according to Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC).

According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at least 20,000 tube wells were installed within a short period in Kutupalong area under Rajapalong union after the Rohingya exodus began in 2017.

RRRC confirmed that at least 244 tube wells went dry as of August this year at the Kutupalong Rohingya camps.

This correspondent visited and spoke to some locals in the areas hit by the water crisis. They urged the government to take step urgently to mitigate the crisis, which they say has intensified after the Rohingya influx.

Zamir Uddin from Rajapalong union, which hosts the world’s biggest refugee camp, told The Daily Star that life was becoming difficult for a shortage of water.

“We are worried about the availability of irrigation water as well,” added Zamir, a farmer by profession.

Mohammad Alam of Jadimura village in Teknaf, a technician who installs tube wells, told The Daily Star that his team used to discover aquifers by boring 60 to 70 feet under the ground.

But for the last one year, they have had to dig down to an average of 500 feet to reach the water table.

Shafi Ahmed of Mochonipara in Teknaf was installing a new tube well with the help of the technician when this correspondent visited the area.

“I have to spend Tk 1,30,000 for this new deep tube well, as the previous one in my home has dried up. I had spent around Tk 15,000 to install the previous one.”

Hundreds of tube wells at Nayapara, Mochonipara and Jadimura seemed to have dried up when this correspondent visited the three villages.

These three villages host at least 1,40,000 Rohingyas against a host community force of 14,000.

Azizul Haque Kajol, a local from Hnila union, said the areas adjacent to the Rohingya camps were facing a serious water crisis.

The shallow tube wells were sufficient to meet water demand previously. But now that thousands of tube wells have been installed, the crisis has worsened, he added.

Md Saifur Rahman, superintendent engineer at the Public Health and Engineering (ground water) Department, acknowledged that the Rohingya influx had an impact on underground water at these two upazilas.

The government has taken a decision to not install any shallow tube wells at the camps, as the rate of water excavation is much higher than the rate of replenishment.

“We are looking at sourcing surface water as much as we can, in cooperation with the aid agencies,” he said.

Mohammed Ashraful Afsar, additional deputy commissioner (revenue) in Cox’s Bazar, told The Daily Star that they were aware of the fact that underground water was receding in Teknaf and Ukhia.

“We urged the department concerned to assess how far the water level has receded and asked aid agencies to look for surface water,” he added.

There is no official study on the water crisis situation, but locals and public representatives said that there was a moderate flow of water in the Teknaf wells, while the underground flow of water in Ukhia was rich.

After the Rohingya influx, the tube wells in both upazilas have dried up or are running low, according to Hnila UP Chairman Rashed Mohammad Ali.