Residents of Bhola's char area was seen collecting water from rivers and ponds on Tuesday (December 10). Photo: The Daily Observer
Approximately 100,000 residents of 20 chars in Bhola's Charfashion upazila are suffering from a severe shortage of safe drinking water despite being surrounded by rivers.
In Char Sikdar, part of Mojib Nagar union, over 2,000 people rely on just six deep tube wells, of which three have been ruined for over two years. The remaining three function intermittently.
Local resident Md. Alauddin lamented, "Living in this isolated char is hard due to lack of water and even more so, medical facilities. We can't recognize diseases and often can't transport patients quickly to the mainland for treatment."
The former chairman of Dhalchar union, Abdul Salam Hawlader, pointed out that Dhalchar, home to around 12,000 people, faces acute water crises due to its location near the Bay of Bengal, where saltwater intrusion is frequent. He noted that the scarcity worsens during floods, leading to widespread waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, jaundice, and skin ailments.
Md. Malek, a fisherman from Char Fakira, said, "I spend hours in saltwater catching fish and now I have skin diseases. We have no alternative but to drink saline water which makes us sick."
According to Dr. Sayedur Rahman of Charfashion Upazila Health Complex, many patients from the char regions suffer from skin diseases caused by waterborne illnesses. Most residents first seek treatment from local herbalists, often worsening their condition.
The Civil Surgeon of Bhola, Dr. Monirul Islam, emphasized the scarcity of tube wells in the chars, forcing residents to rely on river and pond water. This has resulted in increasing cases of diarrhea and abdominal diseases. He added that awareness campaigns will be conducted to encourage the use of safe water.
SM Mahamudur Rahman, executive engineer of Bhola's Public Health Engineering Department, said, "To address the water crisis, we are installing 12 deep tube wells in each union under a 2024-25 fiscal project. This initiative aims to significantly reduce the shortage of safe drinking water in the char areas."
Meanwhile, Md. Tota Mia from the Department of Environment mentioned that climate change is intensifying saltwater intrusion, severely impacting the local ecosystem and livelihoods.
Reports from our correspondent also indicated that the residents of Bhola's char areas continue to struggle but the ongoing projects provide a glimmer of hope for a sustainable solution to the water crisis.
