Md, Mosabbir Ali. Kulaura (Moulvibazar) :
Some 15000 people in 80 villages under seven upazilas of the district are facing acute crisis of safe drinking water as there is no tube-well in these areas.
About 15000 villagers, mostly betel leaf farmers, have to collect salty water from 170 deep holes they made on the sandy land.
Many people including children, suffer from various water-borne diseases as they drink impure and salty water. Lari Lamin, 27, a housewife of Nahar punjee, said.
“We collect salty water from a hole that we have dug on the sandy land and use this water for drinking, cooking and other household works,” she told this correspondent during his recent visit to the area.
Thiari Suting, 45, another housewife, said they are suffering from various water borne diseases like dysentery and diarrhoea as they have no other alternative but to drink impure and salty water.
Visiting Cholta punjee 25 kilometres from Srimangal Upazila town need to three hours, this correspondent found men and women collecting water from wells for drinking and using for household purpose.
“Finding no way, I and my younger brother dug a 200-feetdeep well to overcome water crisis. But drinking water from wells often causes water borne diseases, especially among children,” said Airin Pohlong, 30, a villager.
Most of the children suffered from diarrhea and dysentery in the last one month for drinking salty and impure water from holes, villager Tomas Suting said, adding that the families could not provide medicines for their affected children as they live hand-to-mouth.
“We face acute crisis of safe drinking water for want of tube-wells. Water that we collect from holes is unfit to drink, he said.
“Now we find it difficult to take bath and wash our clothes after doing household chores and agricultural works as water level in the wells is low. Every time we suffer a lot due to water crisis,” said Johinul Kongwang, Headman of the Choltacherra punjee.
Bably Talang, general secretary of KUBORAZ Inter Punjee Development Association of Khasi people, around 15 thousand Khasi and Garo indigenous people out of 80 punjee (village) under seven Upazila of the district, face acute crisis of safe drinking water in the winter as there is no tube-well in the areas.
Bijoy Bunarji, chairman of Rajghat Union Parishad (UP), said people of punjee people under the union are facing acute crisis of safe drinking water as there is no tube wells in the area. “We requested the upazila administration several times to ensure safe drinking water for the villagers by sinking tube-wells, but to no effect,” the chairman told the correspondent.
