They bring water by crossing two beels on foot
Photo: Barta24.com
“I cross two beels to bring a pitcher of water from a pond. The journey on foot takes about 1 hour. Pass a beel and a little cumin on the way. Then return home with the pitcher again. It takes about two hours to fetch a pitcher of water every day. Even after fetching water with such difficulty, the water still has the smell of algae. From the winter time until the rainy season comes, we are to bring water in this way.'' Rani Sardar of Kalapata village of Bagali Union of Khulna’s Koira Upazila was saying these words.
Not only the image of Rani, this is the same image of 120 families of this village. They wake up early every day. Have to finish cooking and eating breakfast and lunch before 7 am and leave for work. The men and women of each house in this village walk one and a half kilometers from home at 7 in the morning and work in the other's enclosure. After work at 1 in the afternoon, after returning home, after finishing some household chores, we have to go out again to fetch food and water. At around 4 pm in the sun, we had to cross two beels with a pitcher to Bamia village, 3 km away from Kalapata village. Returning home with water, all around is covered in darkness. Then have to sit for the night cooking. This is how the women of this village spend their days and nights.
There are 40 thousand 500 families in 7 unions in Koira upazila where the population is more than 3 lakh. 60 percent of people are deprived of clean water. According to the information of Koira Upazila Public Health Engineering Department, the number of tube wells in the upazila is 1,632 and the number of PSF (purifying pond water for drinking and cooking purposes) is 165.
Locals said that the people of this region have to depend on ponds and rainwater for drinking water and daily activities. However, in these areas, natural disasters, uncontrolled shrimp farming, non-construction of high dams in shrimp enclosures, blocking of river flow, filling of ponds and government canals have become vacant. As a result, people have to travel miles to collect fresh water. The situation in the villages adjacent to the Sundarbans is even worse.
Md. Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Antihara village of South Bedkashi Union of the upazila, said that the drinking water ponds have also dried up in the intense heat. Women, children and other members of the house walk miles with pitchers to collect water. Although there is water around, there is no potable water anywhere, it is all salty.
According to the Khulna Soil Resources Institute, a salinity of 4 DS/m is considered normal for crop production. But the soil salinity in these areas averages 11 DS/m per month. At some places the salinity is found to be 17 dS/m. On the other hand, the average salinity in the river in these areas is more than 16 DS/m. GM Mostafizur Rahman, the chief scientific officer of this institution, said that due to the intensity of salinity, the arable land in the coastal area is becoming uncultivated.
Anwar Hossain of Mathbari village of Koira upazila said that more than 20 thousand people live in our village. Good drinking water is not available here. Most of the water in these areas is brackish. Water tanks have been given to some families through the government and various NGOs. But if it doesn't rain on time, they also become empty. As there is no government pond or reservoir, we have to live here every year for two-three months without clean drinking water. In this intense heat, there is an extreme shortage of drinking water and water for daily life in the area.
Md. Abir Hossain of Koira village No. 5 of the upazila said that now the heat wave is going on. In such weather, the people of the coast are suffering from thirst again and again. But there is not a single drop of fresh water within the reach of the people of this region. Here in severe heat wave not only fresh water but also water shortage for daily use is at an extreme. They have to struggle for a drop of water. Men, women and even children have to walk miles for water.
Koira Upazila Public Health Engineer Istiaq Ahmed said that 4,500 plastic tanks have been distributed to save drinking water for the people of this region.
He also said that tube wells cannot be installed due to excess salinity. And the tube wells that are there, do not produce water from November to June. As a result, people are forced to drink contaminated water.
