Friday | 10 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Friday | 10 January 2025 | Epaper

Severe water crisis prevails in Barind region

Published : Wednesday, 8 May, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 258
Rafiqul Hasan Firoz
RAJSHAHI, May 7: Severe water crisis is prevailing in the district and its adjacent districts.

In the Barind region, the drinking water crisis has been acute. No tube-well can lift even a drop of water.

Due to the current heat wave and severe draught, the groundwater layers are below the normal level. Wailing for water is elsewhere in entire Barind area.

In a special post on the Facebook, local MP (Rahshahi-6, Charghat-Bagha) Shahriar Alam said, "People are facing problem in getting water in Charghat-Bagha areas. Despite that deep tube-wells are being installed. After digging excessive numbers of ponds, these are water filled through deep tube-wells. It seems to me a big reason behind going down of groundwater layer."

In response to his post, several hundreds of locals have reported about water crisis in their respective areas.

In fact, the water crisis is prevailing in entire Rajshahi Division.

According to sources at the Department of Public Health (DoPH)-Rajshahi, in the 1980 and 90s, thousands of tube-wells were installed in village localities to meet water demand in Rajshahi. At present, several lakhs of tube-wells can lift water; these are lying out of order.

To meet drinking water demand, now submersible pumps are allocated and installed in villages. DoPH is giving mortar. Many people are installing mortars at their own cost.

City dwellers are used to use WASA water. High powered water pumps have been installed in the city for lifting groundwater.

Besides, more than 6,000 submersible pumps have been set up at the individual level. Tube-wells in the city can no longer pump water.

Mayor Saidur Rahman of Mundumala Municipality in Tanore Upazila said, in the dry season, water crisis has been higher in Barind;  BMDAs deep tube-wells and ponds have been main sources of water for people; but people have to collect water from distant areas; now the trouble of water collection has been the most suffering of people.

For the last two weeks, the average temperature has been remaining above 40 degree Celsius while the lowest temperature is recorded at 35 degree Celsius.

Panchandor Union in Rajshahi is the most hot area in the country, according to a report of a research organisation, Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO).

Local Sajedul Islam said, "Due to water crisis, it has been difficult to rear cattle. After 150-foot boring tube-well can lift water. Water is not available in ponds and marshes. When there is electricity, BMDAs deep tube-wells are run. Then villagers start running with jars and buckets to collect water. It is another trouble."

Such water crisis is prevailing in Mahalipara Village in Mundumala Municipality.
 
An ethnic dweller of the village Philip Tudu said, "Many people are meeting their water demand by setting up submersible pumps. But we are poor to set up such pumps. It costs Taka one lakh to install such a pump."

A dweller of Lolitnagar area in Godagari Upazila Manzur Hossain said, "Earlier people would concern for food. Now it has been a big concern of drinking  water. Due to want of water, people are selling their cow and goat."

Jayeda Khatun, a Gorgoria area dweller in Bagha Upazila, said, no tube-well in villages along banks of the Padma River can pump out water.

"I am not getting water from tube-well since beginning of April. After trying for one hour, we are not getting a bucket of water even. Now I am collecting water from neughbours home," she added.  

A dweller of Uttar Milik Bagha Village in Bagha Upazila Nasir Uddin said, "I have installed my home tube-well with 170-foot pipe. But it couldn lift water. Later on, electricity-run mortar was installed. But it is also failing to pump out water. The crisis is deadly."

In Barind, farmers are facing uttered disarray in irrigating their crops including Boro fields    mostly.

Executive Engineer of the DoPH Harun-ur-Rashid said, yearly Barind groundwater layers go down in April and May; it turns a bit normal after rainfall; Rajshahis weather is now very tense; draught is prevailing this April.

"We are informed of some water crisis in villages," he added.
       
Professor Sarwar Jahan of the Geology and Mining Department of Rajshahi University said, groundwater layer is going down continuously; it is very concerning; direct negative impact of climate change has been sumptuous in Rajshahi region; and, due to less rainfall, the groundwater is used excessively, which is mostly responsible.

To overcome this problem, it needs to increase use of surface water, and it may make a bit  stability, he added.



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