KOYRA, KHULNA, Apr 19: Despite water elsewhere, people in Koyra Upazila of the district are struggling for drinking water.
Localities in Koyra were devastated by Aila and Amphan cyclones. There is no end to suffering of people for drinking water crisis.
According to field sources, men and women are collecting drinking water from distant areas. Of the seven unions of the upazila, there are some tube-wells in Maharajpur, Koyra Sadar, Uttar Bedkashi and Dakshin Bedkashi unions, which are providing drinkable water. Other people drink pond water.
Besides, the deep tube-well water in Bagali, Maheshwaripur and Amadi unions is unfit for drinking. People in these areas drink pond water for the whole year.
On May 25, 2009, six unions of the upazila were completely submerged in brackish water due to the terrible flood of Cyclone Ayla. The drinking water ponds and the PSFs (pond sand filters) installed on the banks of the ponds became unusable.
For three consecutive years, the ponds were filled with silt due to the fluctuation in the tides, and the source of drinking water was destroyed.
Later on, the government and NGOs started the renovation of the filled ponds. But it was much less than the need. On April 20, 2020, these were damaged again by Cyclone Amphan.
So far, few ponds and PSFs have been renovated in different unions. From these ponds, hundreds of men and women from different areas were seen collecting water in lines from morning to night.
"When I went to Koyra Government Pond No. 5 in the Sadar, I saw men and women standing in lines at the PSF on the banks of the pond with pitchers in hand for water. When asked, many of them including Monira, said, they have to leave their household chores and wait for hours for water.
Due to the waste of time, many people cannot do their works at home properly. Also, in areas where there are deep tube-wells, the number of them is less than the demand. So, people have to stand for hours to collect water.
If the number of tube-wells based on the area is increased, the drinking water crisis will be reduced a bit, they added.
Maheshwaripur Union Chairman Lecturer Shahnewaz Shikari said, the area has been turned into a desert due to the lack of rain for a long time. Just as the animals and birds in the area are running in all directions for water, people are also running from dawn to late night for drinking water, he added.
Upazila Public Health Engineer Istiak Ahmed said, there has been drinking water crisis at Koyra for long.
The drinking water crisis will be alleviated if sufficient ponds are dug and rainwater harvesting is installed. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ruli Biswas said, tube-wells, ponds and rainwater-harvesting system have been installed to alleviate the drinking water problem in the coastal town of Koyra.
Due to lack of rain for a long time, the water in the dug ponds has dried up, with water levels of tube-wells going down, causing the drinking water crisis, the official added.
