Acute water crisis hits Barishal City

BARISHAL, Mar 29: Acute water crisis started in city's different areas from the very beginning of summer.
Barishal City Corporation (BCC) is supplying water to the city dwellers less than half of the demand.
Due to seasonal fall of ground water layers in the summer, the deep tube-wells cannot continue pumping in full scale.
The city dwellers are apprehending that if the current crisis continues, a hard water stress is likely ahead before the next rainy season.
BCC sources said only 2.70 crore gallons of water are being supplied daily against the city's demand of 6 crore gallon.
All dwellers are not getting the supplied water. It is because 55 per cent areas of the city have not been connected with supply lines yet.    
A dweller Abdul Matin of Ward No. 2 said, "Since March 19 in the morning, water has not been supplied to our area."
It was echoed by another Rabiul Islam of Ward No. 28.
Abdul Matin and Rabiul Islam alleged, "Following the beginning of the summer, water supply has been facing a two- to three-day suspension under no notice. As a result, we are suffering much."
A resident Shamim Ahmed of Palashpur area of Ward No. 5 beside the Kirtonkhola River said about 3,000 families of eight moujas are suffering regular water crisis.
Dweller Rafiqul Islam of a mouja said, "We have neither drinking water nor essential water. Water is not coming out from the deep tube-wells due to fall in the ground water."
Noor Zahan Begum of a mouja in Ward No. 7 said, "We don't have water for household activities. We have to walk about one km for bringing water."
Resident Md Zia of block no. 5 said BCC supplies water to eight moujas of Palashpur from two vehicles which is very inadequate compared to the demand.
Councillor of Ward No. 5 Kefayet Hossain Rony said in the eight moujas, 30,000 litres of water are being supplied twice daily.
Measure has also been taken to install deep tube-wells for lifting water from the underground, he added.    
BCC's Water Division sources said there are 29,000 subscribers in the city and for them a total of 2.70 crore gallons of water are being supplied daily.
Water Division Executive Engineer Md Omar Faruk said those who have lines have no water crisis.
He also said the water crisis is in the areas where lines have not been set up yet. The crisis has been caused due to fall of water layers in this summer. The old deep tube-wells are failing to pump out waters from the layers.  
In order to solve water crisis, water treatment plants were installed at Beltala and Rupatoli areas in 2009-10 fiscal spending Tk 56 crore. But, due to irregularities in the construction and mechanical faults, BCC did not approve the plants. Already a one third of the Beltola plant has been eroded by Kirtonkhola. And, there is a big setup defect in the Rupatoli plant causing the delay in launching.  
The plants were built by Barishal Public Health Engineering Department. The construction of the plants was completed by June, 2016. But 30-35 per cent of the Beltola plant was affected by Kirtonkhola erosion. As a result, the commissioning of the plant lost its rectifying capacity.
Different problems are lying with Rupatoli plant in a capacity of 250-KV against the required capacity of 450-KV in order to run a three-tier plant at a time. And due to this pumping capacity deficit the plant cannot be possible to launch.
There have been faults and irregularities in the setup of these plants, said BCC sources.
Water Division Executive Engineer Omar Faruk said it could not be possible to receive the plants, lying unused.
So, the water treatment plants are lying unused, made at the cost of Tk 56 crore, he pointed out.