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BSS-01
RAINWATER-BARIND (with picture)
Rainwater becomes boon for many Barind people, easing life
RAJSHAHI, Feb 26, 2019 (BSS) – Mikhail Saren, 42, has been using rainwater
for his household purposes for more than last three years and becomes happy
after availing the natural water.
“I store rainwater and use it,” said Mikhail, a resident of Sundarpur
Kakonhat village under Godagari Upazila in Rajshahi district, while talking
to BSS on Monday.
He referred to a unique process of collecting and conserving of rainwater,
saying rainwater remains available in rainy season which is the best time to
collect it.
He said during rainy season, he install container for storing water. “This
water makes our life easy, meeting our necessary water demand for household
works and drinking his five cattle”.
Sharing her experience in using rainwater, housewife Hazera Begum, 37, of
Parbatipur village under Gomostapur upazila said her six-member family is now
dependent on tank water during monsoon.
She added rainwater is very much suitable and effective for cooking rice
and pulses and other household works.
“We collect rainwater from rooftop through pipe and conserve it in concrete
reserved tank,” she went on saying.
Mikhail Saren and Hazera Begum are among around 20,000 villagers who are
using rainwater for their household purposes.
Md Akhteruzzaman, Chairman of Dewpara Union Parishad, said the villagers
got financial support from Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
Project for installing the infrastructures to collect and conserve rainwater.
In the drought-prone Barind area, rainwater accumulation and conservation
method is very effective during monsoon, he said.
DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross are jointly implementing the IWRM
project in drought affected 42 union parishads and three pourasavas under
eight upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015.
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation-SDC is extending financial
support for implementing the project, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant
Coordinator of the IWRM Project.
He said the villagers collect and use more than 3.58 crore liters of
rainwater through the 217 installations every year.
Prof Sarwar Jahan of Department of Geology and Mining in Rajshahi
University said the villagers in water scarce areas like High Barind Tract
(HBT) can use rainwater in their daily activities.
He said amount of rainfall in HBT is less, just around 1000-1200 mm per
year. The figure dropped to 947 mm last year, which is the lowest among all
areas of Bangladesh. This area is characterised by delayed arrival of
seasonal rain (mid-May) and early withdrawal (mid-October).
He said Barind area is draught prone and it also experiences less
rainfall. So people use groundwater in extensive way making a huge pressure
on it. In this regard, rainwater can be the best alternative source of water.
BSS/SPL/AH/GMR/1138 hrs