DHAMOIRHAT, NAOAGAON, May 15: A long-standing drinking water crisis in a remote indigenous settlement in Dhamoirhat has finally been resolved following the installation of a mini-piped water network under a development initiative.
The settlement, known as Chhoto Mollapara under Umar Union, had suffered severe water shortage during the dry season for years. Around 47 indigenous families, comprising 205 people, live in the village located on the edge of the Ala Tadhighi National Park sal forest area.
During dry months, hand tube-wells would stop producing water, forcing residents to travel nearly half a kilometre to collect water from a nearby pond.
That pond water was used for drinking, cooking and other household needs, exposing villagers to waterborne diseases.
Residents say the situation has now changed significantly after a mini-piped water network project was implemented on February 9 this year, bringing safe drinking water directly to households.
"We had no choice but to use pond water earlier. Now we have safe water at our doorstep," said Jhorna Hemrom, a resident of the village.
Under the project, a 10,000-litre water tank was installed at a height of around 23 feet.
Water is pumped using a one-horsepower submersible pump powered by solar panels.
The system supplies water through underground pipelines to 10 tap points across the village.
Village Committee President Mithon Hemrom said the system has ended their long struggle for safe water.
"There is no cost for using this water. It is fully solar-powered and automatically refills when the tank level drops," he said.
Officials from the Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) said the project was implemented under the "Go for Impact" programme, with support from Swisscontact and WaterAid Bangladesh, funded by Switzerland.
Project Manager Md Pojidur Rahman said the village was selected after a field survey identified severe water scarcity.
He said the system now supplies around 5,925 litres of water daily, meeting the needs of local residents.
The total cost of the project was Tk 27.68 lakh, he added.
Officials said the initiative has significantly reduced the risk of waterborne diseases in the community, while also improving daily living conditions in one of the region's most remote and underserved settlements.
