The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has been supplying arsenic-free drinking water among people in some parts of the dried tract for the last couple of years. Sources said the BMDA has a target to construct 620 more installations to supply the safe drinking water through pipeline by the forthcoming June.
The initiative was taken to reduce the acute crisis of drinking water in the drought-prone Barind area especially during the dry season.
In addition to extension of the water supply installations he said necessary chemicals and equipments of water testing laboratory were arranged to make the water free from arsenic contamination and other harmful chemicals.
BMDA Executive Director Enamul Haque said the development works are being executed under a five-year project titled “Drinking Water Supply from Irrigation Deep Tube-well (2nd phase)”.
The project is being implemented in 25 upazilas under Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts by spending Tk 99.40 crore including Taka 32.20 crore as foreign aid.
Main objective of the project is to supply round-the-year potable water to every people in the targeted area.
Enamul Haque said there is a shortage of drinking water in the vast Barind tract during the dry season and the problem has become acute for the last couple of years.
The existing shallow water technologies have become ineffective currently and demand for deep tube wells has increased in the area due to rapid declining of groundwater table along with arsenic contamination in shallow aquifer in some areas of the country.
But, he said, cost of the deep tube well is very high and especially unaffordable for the poor community. In this situation, our public health is in a threatened condition due to lack of proper sanitation facilities and inadequate hygiene practice.
Apart from this, the farmers are gradually becoming vulnerable due to excessive use of groundwater through irrigation and the existing adverse impact of clime change depletes groundwater table, which makes the hand-driven tube wells inoperative and the area experiences a drinking water shortage.
-With BSS/The Independent input
