Chattogram Bureau :
As the ground water level has dropped to 4 to 10 meters, there is a shortage of potable water in five upazilas of Chittagong.
Climate change is one of the reasons for this, climate experts are emphasizing to reduce the dependence on groundwater. Instead, they are advised to increase the use of surface water i.e. pond or river water. Thousands of tube wells in Boalkhali are useless. Thousands of tube wells in different villages of Kadurkhil, East Gomdandi, West Gomdandi, Shakpura, Sarowatli, Charandwip areas of Boalkhali upazila are lying useless. Alternatively, many are pumping water with submersible pumps.
Chairman of Sarowatli Union Parishad Belal Hossain said water was not rising in the tube well.
There has been a crisis of potable water in different areas for the last 5 months. The locals have suffered in this.
Boalkhali pourashava Mayor Abul Kalam Abu said people in the municipality are suffering from water crisis. There are cries for water in the area as several industrial establishments are digging deep tube wells to draw water. Upazila Public Health Engineer Sudarshi Dewan said deep tube wells have been installed in most areas of Boalkhali. This year, 226 tube wells have been allocated, out of which 200 have been installed.
3 and a half lakh people are suffering in Mirsarai
Water is not rising in the tube well as the ground water level in Mirsarai has gone down. 3 and a half lakh people of the upazila are in trouble. Excessive arsenic is found in the tube wells where water is available. According to the Upazila Public Health Engineering Department; arsenic is present in the water of tube wells in different villages of 16 unions and 2 municipalities.
In 2002-03, 32,480 ordinary tube wells in 75,038 households were tested and an average of 39.6 levels of arsenic was found in the water. Of these, 12,733 tube wells contained more than 0.5 mg of arsenic per liter of water. These tube wells have been marked with red color and caution has been given not to drink water.
