Finding no water in the tap when they get up for the dawn prayer, and supply stopping after 7am, is now a daily experience for many households in Patuakhali municipality, residents including Jahida Khanam Shimul of Sadar Road said. Many stay up at night to store water, and washing clothes is the hardest part.
The municipality now supplies 10,332 cubic metres of water to 9,482 customers through 12 pump houses, 14 production wells and 106 km of pipeline. There are also 572 hand tube wells.
After independence the town had 1,800 to 1,900 tube wells drawing drinking water from 850 to 900 feet. With a growing population, an expanded municipal area and pumps in high-rise buildings, the water table has dropped further and those tube wells no longer work.
Ashrafuzzaman, executive engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering, said the growing number of customers means municipal supply cannot meet demand. A feasibility study has been completed under a government project for 22 municipalities, and a proposal for six new production wells, seven overhead tanks and new pipelines for Patuakhali awaits ministry approval.
Separately, the Prime Minister's Office has written to the Local Government Division secretary asking for steps towards a Tk 45 crore project to end the town's drinking-water shortage. It proposes Tk 16 crore for four overhead tanks, Tk 3.2 crore for 10 production wells, Tk 7 crore for 20 generators, and Tk 8.8 crore and Tk 6.56 crore for 22 km of 160 mm and 20 km of 110 mm pipeline respectively.
Officials hope the long-standing drinking-water shortage will largely end if the project is carried out quickly.
Photo: Francisco Anzola / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Dainik Bangla
Comments
(0)