United News of Bangladesh

Around 15,000 residents of Pirganj Municipality in Rangpur are enduring severe hardship after their clean water supply was cut off following the breakdown of three pumps installed under a Tk 20-crore project. The pumps, set up by the Department of Public Health Engineering as part of its Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation System Improvement initiative during the 2021–22 fiscal year, stopped working some 15 days ago. Since then, households have been left without access to safe water for drinking, cooking and other daily needs. Many families have been forced to purchase bottled water, spending Tk 50–60 a day, an amount that is especially burdensome for low-income earners. Those unable to afford bottled supplies are now at risk of contracting waterborne diseases. Frustration has mounted among residents, who accuse the municipal authorities of failing to resolve the crisis promptly. Allegations of corruption linked to the water project have also surfaced. Locals allege that the former mayor, Tajimul Islam Shamim, reportedly on the run since the collapse of the previous government, and a public health assistant engineer, Al Mamun, benefited financially from the scheme. Concrete span, broken hopes: Gaibandha awaits the road ahead The three pumps were installed in 2022 at different locations: one on land owned by former councillor Saheb Ali near the Pirganj bus stand in Osmanpur Mouza; another in Sonakantar Mouza on land belonging to Lal Mia, said to be a close associate of the fugitive mayor; and a third in front of the Garabed Jame Mosque. Since their installation, the system has only delivered clean water for about four months. On August 27, the supply abruptly ceased again, leaving large parts of the municipality dry. “We can’t cook or wash properly. We have to buy drinking water from shops at high prices,” said a resident of Ward 4. Similar grievances have been reported from Wards 5 and 8, which are among the hardest hit areas. Municipal Executive Officer Abdur Rahim explained that the pumps had developed leaks in several places, forcing the authorities to suspend the supply.  He also noted that overdue water bills had slowed repair efforts. “Despite the challenges, we are trying to restore the water supply as soon as possible,” he said. Meanwhile, locals continue to urge immediate intervention, warning that the prolonged shortage could escalate into a public health crisis.

More than a hundred villages in Sunamganj’s Jamalganj upazila are facing a worsening drinking water crisis, as the groundwater level plunges to alarming depths, drying up tube-wells and forcing residents to queue for hours just to collect a single pitcher of water. What was once a reliable source of fresh water has turned into a daily struggle for survival across six unions, where tube-wells that worked even five years ago now sit useless. The crisis, escalating over the past several months, has left villagers scrambling for alternatives in a region where poverty is widespread and infrastructure support is limited. Some better-off households have installed deep tube-wells—submersible pumps that can reach depths of 670 feet. Others have attempted to dig a few feet deeper into existing wells, often without success. But for most—mainly the poor farmers—such solutions are financially out of reach. Many now rely on neighbours with submersible wells, forming long queues and enduring long waits to collect water. Installing a single submersible well costs around Tk 100,000, an amount few families can afford. Residents also complain that government-installed deep tube-wells, managed by the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) or distributed through Union Parishads, are often set up on private properties or at individual residences, limiting access for the broader community. Clean, odourless water remains a distant hope for Narayanganj residents A recent field visit revealed critical shortages across the unions of Sachna Bazar, Jamalganj Sadar, Fenarbak, Bhimkhali, Beheli and North Jamalganj. Affected villages include Brahmangao, Kukrapashi, Durlovpur, Fajilpur, Ramnagar, Bharatpur, Seromostpur, Mofiznagar, Fatehpur, Kamalabaj, Noaihalat, Shahpur, Telia, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Kalaguza, Kashipur, Gojaria, Ramur, Sharifpur, Bhootiarpur, Shantinagar, Chhoihara, Daulatpur, Gangadhar, Matar, Rajapur, Kolkotkha, Noagaon and Molinagar. According to locals, only wells reaching 670 feet currently yield water. “You can see us standing in line with pitchers to collect water,” said Nasima Begum of Chhoto Ghagatia village in Bhimkhali union. “Though we have tube wells in the village, none of them work anymore,” she said. Joya Das and Jharna Das of Brahmangao village in Sachna Bazar union said they have to walk nearly half a mile for a single pitcher of water. “It’s especially difficult at night. We urge the administration to install functional tube wells in our area urgently,” Jharna Das said. Over 1.67 lakh tube-wells dry up in Feni amid acute fresh water crisis Saiful Islam, headteacher of a local primary school, added, “The entire upazila is facing a dire crisis. Water levels have dropped so much that tube wells installed even five years ago have dried up. Now, homes with submersible pumps see people from all over coming to collect water.” A resident who received a government-installed deep tube-well alleged that they had to pay Tk 10,000–15,000 unofficially, along with providing food and other expenses for the installation team. They claimed that allocations were often influenced by political affiliations, distributed via local MPs. When contacted, Jamalganj Upazila DPHE Engineer Ram Kumar Saha said, “The 420-foot tube wells have dried up due to the falling groundwater level. Only 670-foot submersible pumps are working now. We are advising people to convert their existing wells and have informed higher authorities about the situation.” Plans afoot to tackle shortage of water in fighting Sundarban fires He added that there is a hope that water levels may recover during the upcoming monsoon.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday cleared seven projects, including a Tk 8850-crore one, to ensure safe water supply across the country.