Ahsanul Amin George, Khulna :
Severe drinking water crisis has been causing sufferings to the people of the coastal belt.
The situation of coastal upazilas Paikgachha, Koyra and Dakop of Khulna district, Mongla, Sharonkhola and Morolganj of Bagerhat district and Shyamnagar and Ashashuni of Satkhira district is getting worse day by day. People of these localities are compelled to collect drinking water from ponds or they have to wait for rain as deep tube wells and swallow tube wells are out of order in the areas.
Sources said, due to mismanagement of water, people of coastal areas have been suffering from severe crisis of pure drinking water for a long time.
Due to entering salty water by cutting embankment, uncontrolled shrimp cultivation, obstruction for flowing rivers easily and grabbing rivers and canals, crisis of drinking water is going on unabated in the coastal belt, according to analysts.
Besides, pure drinking water sources were damaged due to devastating cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. Climate change also has played a significance role for making water into salty. As a result livelihood of coastal people has become unbearable acutely.
Numbers of ponds are so poor in the coastal areas that the inhabitants collect water from ponds by spending 4 to 5 hours. Around 4 months of the year people of these areas are compelled to drink pond water.
In village Katipara under Raruli union in Paikgachha upazila of Khulna district, there are not a single tube well, either swallow or deep and as such the villagers have been suffering from severe pure drinking water crisis. They are compelled to collect drinking water from ponds enduring much difficulties. Debobroto Das, a journalist and resident of the village Katipara informed the above-mentioned information to this correspondent.
Arun Devnath, a Masters degree passed student of English Literature and also the resident of village Baka in the same upazila said, people of coastal areas including Paikgachha upazila have been suffering acutely from pure drinking water crisis, but the concerned authorities are reluctant in respect of solving the matter.
Mizanur Rahman Montu, a journalist of Paikgachha also echoed with Arun Devnath.
Aklima Khatun, a housewife and resident of village Moharajpur in Koyra upazila of Khulna district said, we have to collect drinking water from a pond by walking around 5 kilometers way everyday early in the morning.
Krishna Mondol, resident of village Amadi in Koyra upazila said, we have been suffering from drinking water crisis severely for a long period, there is nobody to see our sufferings.
Shilpi Das, resident of village Hatiardanga in Koyra upazila said, we have to wait for a long time for collecting drinking water as there is a long queue beside the pond.
This correspondent visited different villages of Paikgachha and Koyra upazilas while he found that there are no well tube-wells.
This correspondent also found in the village Katipara of Raruly union in Paikgachha upazila that around 100 men and women were standing in a queue who were waiting for collecting drinking water like skylarks, they were sweated due to hot sun of the noon.
Shahidul Islam, Engineer of Koyra Upazila POublic Health office admitted the matter of drinking water crisis in the upazila and said that there is no alternative except digging ponds and setting PSFs in the villages for solving the crisis of water.
Severe drinking water crisis has been causing sufferings to the people of the coastal belt.
The situation of coastal upazilas Paikgachha, Koyra and Dakop of Khulna district, Mongla, Sharonkhola and Morolganj of Bagerhat district and Shyamnagar and Ashashuni of Satkhira district is getting worse day by day. People of these localities are compelled to collect drinking water from ponds or they have to wait for rain as deep tube wells and swallow tube wells are out of order in the areas.
Sources said, due to mismanagement of water, people of coastal areas have been suffering from severe crisis of pure drinking water for a long time.
Due to entering salty water by cutting embankment, uncontrolled shrimp cultivation, obstruction for flowing rivers easily and grabbing rivers and canals, crisis of drinking water is going on unabated in the coastal belt, according to analysts.
Besides, pure drinking water sources were damaged due to devastating cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. Climate change also has played a significance role for making water into salty. As a result livelihood of coastal people has become unbearable acutely.
Numbers of ponds are so poor in the coastal areas that the inhabitants collect water from ponds by spending 4 to 5 hours. Around 4 months of the year people of these areas are compelled to drink pond water.
In village Katipara under Raruli union in Paikgachha upazila of Khulna district, there are not a single tube well, either swallow or deep and as such the villagers have been suffering from severe pure drinking water crisis. They are compelled to collect drinking water from ponds enduring much difficulties. Debobroto Das, a journalist and resident of the village Katipara informed the above-mentioned information to this correspondent.
Arun Devnath, a Masters degree passed student of English Literature and also the resident of village Baka in the same upazila said, people of coastal areas including Paikgachha upazila have been suffering acutely from pure drinking water crisis, but the concerned authorities are reluctant in respect of solving the matter.
Mizanur Rahman Montu, a journalist of Paikgachha also echoed with Arun Devnath.
Aklima Khatun, a housewife and resident of village Moharajpur in Koyra upazila of Khulna district said, we have to collect drinking water from a pond by walking around 5 kilometers way everyday early in the morning.
Krishna Mondol, resident of village Amadi in Koyra upazila said, we have been suffering from drinking water crisis severely for a long period, there is nobody to see our sufferings.
Shilpi Das, resident of village Hatiardanga in Koyra upazila said, we have to wait for a long time for collecting drinking water as there is a long queue beside the pond.
This correspondent visited different villages of Paikgachha and Koyra upazilas while he found that there are no well tube-wells.
This correspondent also found in the village Katipara of Raruly union in Paikgachha upazila that around 100 men and women were standing in a queue who were waiting for collecting drinking water like skylarks, they were sweated due to hot sun of the noon.
Shahidul Islam, Engineer of Koyra Upazila POublic Health office admitted the matter of drinking water crisis in the upazila and said that there is no alternative except digging ponds and setting PSFs in the villages for solving the crisis of water.
