The government has undertaken a project involving Taka 375 crore to renovate or re-excavate various water bodies, including ponds and dighis, of zila parisad across the country for preserving and supplying potable water.
Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told this in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday while replying to a question from treasury bench member Begum Nasrin Jahan Ratna of Barishal-6.
“Under the project, 809 ponds would be re-excavated across the country and 43 ponds, owned by zila parisad, would also be re-excavated in rural areas,” he said.
The minister informed the House that the groundwater level dropped to 10 meters from three meters because of high dependency on groundwater for agriculture and drinking water. During the summer season enough water is not available in tube wells, he added.
