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April
24, 2000
Natore,
Apr 23 (UNB) – Water crisis during summer in the town is nothing
new. But this time it has taken a turn for the worse inflicting
inexpressible sufferings on the townsmen.
Natore
Pourashava, which is responsible for water supply in the town, can
only meet 25 percent requirement of the townsmen.
According
to Water Supply Division of the municipality, it has so far installed
water connections in 1,255 houses against the demand for 5,000.
At
present, the municipality supplies 60,000 gallons of water against the
demand for 2,40,000 gallons in the town of over one lakh people.
Yet
worse, the three pump stations the pourashava owns are in shabby
condition for lack of maintenance.
Department
of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) has so far installed seven deep
tubewells for smooth supply of drinking water in the town. Of them,
three have been handed over to the pourashava while the rest remained
inoperative due to technical faults.
A
DPHE official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the water
supply system in the town is getting worse day by day for lack of
trained technicians. He attributed the present water crisis to drastic
fall in groundwater level.
Large-scale
installation of tubewells by individuals is said to be the main reason
behind the drastic fall in water level in the town.
As
solution to the water crisis remains elusive, some 75 tubewells were
sunk in the town by individuals in last one month.
Another
report from Barguna adds: People in Patharghata thana of the district
are taking contaminated pond and river waters due to severe crisis of
drinking water, inviting waterborne diseases.
Since
saline water in the coastal area hampers installation of deep
tubewells, sallow tubewells have been the main source of safe water.
But the problem is that water cannot be pumped out through shallow
tubewells in the dry season.
Pond
water is also supplied after purifying it through filters (PSFs). But
287 PSFs have already gone out of order in the area, adding to the
misery of the people.
Official
sources said some Tk 16 lakh were spent for repairing the PSFs, but it
could not improve the situation.
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