UNB, Dhaka :
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to the country’s rural areas under a mega project involving around Tk 800 crore.
The project titled ‘Water Supply in Rural Areas’ is expected to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at its Tuesday’s meeting. The Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) under the Local Government Division will implement the project by December 2019 in rural areas across the country. The project fund will come from the national exchequer.
Talking to UNB, an official at the Planning Commission said the proposed project aims to improve the lifestyle of rural poor and extreme poor through ensuring safe drinking water, and also to ensure safe drinking water in case of any natural disaster like flood or drought.
In the early 90s, the official said, arsenic was detected in underground water and with the passage of time arsenic was found at 30 percent non-deep tubewells across the country which led to the reduction of countrywide safe drinking water coverage to 74 percent.
“As a result, the supply of safe drinking water in rural areas is now at stake,” he said.
Once the proposed project is implemented, the coverage of arsenic-free safe rural water supply will go up to 88 percent from the existing 74 percent, according to the official.
The main project activities include construction of rainwater harvesting, setting up of 7,000 non-deep tubewells, 12,000 Tara non-deep tube wells, excavation of 200 ponds, construction of 320 PSF alongside 40 solar-driven PSF, construction of 300 community-based arsenic iron removal units.
The Pre Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the proposed project was held on May 28 this year where the Planning Commission recommended implementing the project through a restructured Development Project Proposal.
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to the country’s rural areas under a mega project involving around Tk 800 crore.
The project titled ‘Water Supply in Rural Areas’ is expected to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at its Tuesday’s meeting. The Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) under the Local Government Division will implement the project by December 2019 in rural areas across the country. The project fund will come from the national exchequer.
Talking to UNB, an official at the Planning Commission said the proposed project aims to improve the lifestyle of rural poor and extreme poor through ensuring safe drinking water, and also to ensure safe drinking water in case of any natural disaster like flood or drought.
In the early 90s, the official said, arsenic was detected in underground water and with the passage of time arsenic was found at 30 percent non-deep tubewells across the country which led to the reduction of countrywide safe drinking water coverage to 74 percent.
“As a result, the supply of safe drinking water in rural areas is now at stake,” he said.
Once the proposed project is implemented, the coverage of arsenic-free safe rural water supply will go up to 88 percent from the existing 74 percent, according to the official.
The main project activities include construction of rainwater harvesting, setting up of 7,000 non-deep tubewells, 12,000 Tara non-deep tube wells, excavation of 200 ponds, construction of 320 PSF alongside 40 solar-driven PSF, construction of 300 community-based arsenic iron removal units.
The Pre Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the proposed project was held on May 28 this year where the Planning Commission recommended implementing the project through a restructured Development Project Proposal.
