BSS, Rajshahi :
A re-excavated pond has made 26 ethnic minority families happy in Joshefpara village of Kakonhat Pourasava under Godagari Upazila in the district.
“We had been facing problem of water for long, but the re-excavated pond removed the trouble,” said Jatin Hashda, 45, a member of the village having 177 populations both male and female.
He said Kakonhat Pourasava in association with community people re-excavated the derelict pond with financial support from Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.
Earlier on, the villagers were dependent on two tube-wells for their necessary water. But during every dry season, the tube-wells become ineffective due to abnormal declining of underground water level. The odd situation forces them to fetch water from far away to meet up their daily water demands.
Pourasava Mayor Abdul Mazid told BSS that the villagers need 17,700 liters of water including 531 liters for drinking daily. By dint of re-excavation of the pond, they are availing the scope of using year-round surface water instead of groundwater.
Above all, the pond has created scope of using 6.67 lakh liters of water that leads to creation of a tendency of lessening the gradually mounting pressure on aquifer. In addition to the Joshefpara villagers, 76 other drought-affected families in Veempara village under Tanore Upazila are getting privileges of water from the nearby submersible water supply scheme.
“We have created a 13.34-crore liter water reservoir through check-dam after re-excavating a 2.5-kilometer derelict canal at Baurigram village with financial support from IWRM project,” said Lutful Haider Rashid, Chairman of Kalma Union Parishad under Tanore Upazila.
Besides fish farming, the reservoir provides necessary water to 1,360 families and irrigation water to eighty hectares of farming fields, he added.
Switzerland Ambassador to Bangladesh Rene Holenstain has visited the water management activities in different drought-prone Barind areas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts on Tuesday last.
During his daylong visit the ambassador went round different dwelling houses of the beneficiaries and talked to them on how they operate and maintain the water management infrastructure to get safe drinking water.
The IWRM project is being implemented in drought affected 35 Union Parishads and four Pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts since 2015 by DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation- SDC.
DASCOH Chief Executive Officer Akramul Haque said the scheme intends to supply safe drinking water in those drought-prone areas where acute crisis of drinking water exists. Its main objective is to supply round-the-year potable water to all people in the targeted area.
There is a shortage of drinking water in the vast Barind tract during the dry season and the problem has become acute for the last couple of years making the marginalized women especially the ethnic minorities ones worst vulnerable.
In the wake of inadequate aquifer recharge, groundwater level is declining alarmingly in the high Barind tract posing a serious threat to its farming sector besides living and livelihood condition.
More than 6,000 drought hit-families, including 5,417 ethnic minorities ones, have been brought under safe drinking water source through commissioning of 95 submersible pumps in the high Barind tract. The pumps along with 30,027 feet pipelines were commissioned benefiting 26,463 people, including 13,103 women, in 135 remote villages.
A re-excavated pond has made 26 ethnic minority families happy in Joshefpara village of Kakonhat Pourasava under Godagari Upazila in the district.
“We had been facing problem of water for long, but the re-excavated pond removed the trouble,” said Jatin Hashda, 45, a member of the village having 177 populations both male and female.
He said Kakonhat Pourasava in association with community people re-excavated the derelict pond with financial support from Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.
Earlier on, the villagers were dependent on two tube-wells for their necessary water. But during every dry season, the tube-wells become ineffective due to abnormal declining of underground water level. The odd situation forces them to fetch water from far away to meet up their daily water demands.
Pourasava Mayor Abdul Mazid told BSS that the villagers need 17,700 liters of water including 531 liters for drinking daily. By dint of re-excavation of the pond, they are availing the scope of using year-round surface water instead of groundwater.
Above all, the pond has created scope of using 6.67 lakh liters of water that leads to creation of a tendency of lessening the gradually mounting pressure on aquifer. In addition to the Joshefpara villagers, 76 other drought-affected families in Veempara village under Tanore Upazila are getting privileges of water from the nearby submersible water supply scheme.
“We have created a 13.34-crore liter water reservoir through check-dam after re-excavating a 2.5-kilometer derelict canal at Baurigram village with financial support from IWRM project,” said Lutful Haider Rashid, Chairman of Kalma Union Parishad under Tanore Upazila.
Besides fish farming, the reservoir provides necessary water to 1,360 families and irrigation water to eighty hectares of farming fields, he added.
Switzerland Ambassador to Bangladesh Rene Holenstain has visited the water management activities in different drought-prone Barind areas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts on Tuesday last.
During his daylong visit the ambassador went round different dwelling houses of the beneficiaries and talked to them on how they operate and maintain the water management infrastructure to get safe drinking water.
The IWRM project is being implemented in drought affected 35 Union Parishads and four Pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabgonj districts since 2015 by DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation- SDC.
DASCOH Chief Executive Officer Akramul Haque said the scheme intends to supply safe drinking water in those drought-prone areas where acute crisis of drinking water exists. Its main objective is to supply round-the-year potable water to all people in the targeted area.
There is a shortage of drinking water in the vast Barind tract during the dry season and the problem has become acute for the last couple of years making the marginalized women especially the ethnic minorities ones worst vulnerable.
In the wake of inadequate aquifer recharge, groundwater level is declining alarmingly in the high Barind tract posing a serious threat to its farming sector besides living and livelihood condition.
More than 6,000 drought hit-families, including 5,417 ethnic minorities ones, have been brought under safe drinking water source through commissioning of 95 submersible pumps in the high Barind tract. The pumps along with 30,027 feet pipelines were commissioned benefiting 26,463 people, including 13,103 women, in 135 remote villages.
