UNB, Khulna :
The residents of Khulna city and five uapzilas of the district may face an acute crisis of pure drinking water in the current summer like the previous years due to drastic fall in groundwater level as no visible measures have been taken to face the situation.
Department of Public Health Engineering officials are apprehending that around 25 lakh people of Khulna city and Dighalia, Dumuria, Rupsha and Batiaghata upazilas will have to suffer much due to rapid fall in groundwater level. Deep tube-well is the main source of pure drinking water in the largely populated city and five upazilas.
But scarcity of pure drinking water turns serious in summer as required quantity of water cannot be lifted through deep tube-wells due to fall in groundwater level.
According to DPHE officials, groundwater level declined by 21 feet on an average in the five uapzilas in 2012 to 2013 while it declined by 26 feet in 2011.
So, people in most areas of these uapzilas have to depend on pond water, which is undrinkable.
Insufficient rain, poor navigability and excessive use of groundwater are the main reasons behind the fall in groundwater level, they said.
Meanwhile, Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) officials claimed that there will be no scarcity of pure drinking water in Khulna city this year as they have taken some measures to face water crisis in the summer.
President of Greater Khulna Development Movement Coordination Committee said it is not possible to resolve the water crisis only depending on groundwater.
He emphasised setting up of water treatment plant to purify river water to deal with the crisis.
