BMDA implementing drinking water supply project in Barind

RAJSHAHI, Sept 7 (BSS): The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has been supplying arsenic-free drinking water among people in some parts of the dried tract for around last 18 years.

So far, the BMDA has installed more than 1000 water supply installations and 50 other necessary infrastructures since 1995 for the purposes in some parts of the barind tract comprising 25 Upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabgonj districts.

In the ongoing third phase of the four-year project titled "Drinking Piped Water Supply from Irrigation Deep Tubewells", the BMDA has a target to construct 550 more installations and 50 pipeline extension to supply the safe drinking water through pipeline by June 2017 with an estimated cost of around Taka 110.45 crore.

Engineer Ahsan Jakir, Executive Director of BMDA told BSS that the initiative was taken to reduce the acute crisis of drinking water in the drought-prone barind area especially during the dry season.

In addition to extension of the water supply installations he said necessary chemicals and equipment of water testing laboratory were arranged to make the water free from arsenic contamination and other harmful chemicals.

Main objective of the project is to supply round-the-year potable water to every people in the targeted area.

Engineer Jakir said there is a shortage of drinking water in the vast barind tract during the dry season and the problem has become acute for the last couple of years.

The existing shallow water technologies have become ineffective currently and demand for deep tube wells has increased in the area due to rapid declining of groundwater table along with arsenic contamination in shallow aquifer in some areas of the country.

But, he said, cost of the deep tube well is very high and especially unaffordable for the poor community. In this situation, our public health is in a threatened condition due to lack of proper sanitation facilities and inadequate hygiene practice.