RAJSHAHI, June 13, 2020 (BSS)- Submersible pumps have brought boon for the
people of drought-prone Barind area here, supplying safe drinking water to
around 5,000 ethnic families either directly or indirectly amid the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Bangladesh Unity Federation of Los Angeles (BUFLA), a voluntary
organization, under its ‘Arsenic-free Drinking Water Project’ installed 28
submersible pumps along with platform, overhead tank and outlet one each in 28
drought-hit villages under Godagari, Tanore and Paba Upazilas in the district.
It has also provided another 20 homeless families with houses at Bottali
village under Godagari Upazila.
Each of 120 other worst affected women-headed families were given a food
package containing six kilograms of rice, two kilograms of potato and one
kilogram of edible oil, salt and pulse each in the area to mitigate their
livelihood related hardships caused by the pandemic.
Varati Mormu, 49, wife of late Suklesh Mormu of Purapara village under
Godagari Upazila in the district, has started getting access to safe drinking
water after a long wait.
“We had to face multifarious problems relating to fetching water for our
five-member family,” said Varati while talking to BSS in the city on Friday
adding that the problem has now been eradicated.
Gopal Krishna, 42, wife of late Joy Krishnay in Kakonhat Pourashava, also
expressed her happiness over the water supply system. She is now getting
requisite water for her five-member family.
A submersible pump has been installed in the locality and water is being
supplied to the households through installing a 1000-liter capacity overhead
tank and outlets ensuring water rights to the drought-affected Barind area.
Shiuly Biswas, 37, wife of Anil Biswas of Daying Para village under Paba
Upazila echoed the same.
Like the three women, 975 ethnic families comprising around 5,000 people
have been brought under safe drinking water source through commissioning 28
submersible pumps in the high Barind tract.
Jahangir Alam Khan, local coordinator of BUFLA, said the beneficiary people
took the responsibility of proper maintenance and function of the
infrastructures routinely.
The initiative has been taken to maintain round-the-year drinking water
supply to the poor and vulnerable villagers.
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 the living and livelihood condition of the poor and
marginalized population including the ethnic minorities.
Lifting underground water through deep tube-wells is becoming tougher
during the dry season day by day. Options for surface water are also very
limited.
Jahangir Khan, however, said that the submersible water supply system has
become a blessing for the drought-affected people.
Its main objective is to supply round-the-year potable water to all people
in the targeted area. “We have also planned to install four more submersible
pumps to ensure drinking water to another 200 families,” he added.