Rohingyas get access to purified water

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OUR CORRESPONDENT | Published: September 08, 2024 21:31:09

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COX'S BAZAR, Sept 08: The authorities concerned have been providing drinking water for 15,000 Rohingyas through the storing and purifying process from mountains, rainfall, springs and natural sources.
The Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) has been providing clean water to Rohingya citizens living in Teknaf area of Cox's Bazar by setting up surface water treatment plant.
According to the DPHE, in 2021, a water treatment plant was set up at a cost of Tk 400 million (40 crore) next to a six-acre pond in Nayapara Rohingya camp of Teknaf. The site which was previously filled with garbage has been excavated and rehabilitated to serve as a source of water purification.
Water collected from rain and spring sources is stored and purified through water treatment plants and supplied to the Rohingyas. The plant is supplying about one million (10 lakh) liters of water per day.
Each family living in Teknaf's Nayapara Rohin-gya camp is now getting about one million liters of water per day from the water treatment plant for drinking and other uses.
During a visit to Nayapara Shalbagan Rohingya camp in Teknaf, it was found that the treated water is being treated at the surface water treatment plant set up by the DPHE and the ADB.
These initiatives are taken to ensure proper use of surface water, reduce groundwater pressure, save the area from the worst effects of climate change and protect the ecosystem of the area.
Faiz Ullah, a resident of Nayapara Rohingya camp, said, "I fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017 to save my life. At that time we were stationed in Nayapara. At that time, there was a shortage of fresh water and drinking water.
"There were no tube-wells anywhere. We had to travel a long way to bring drinking water. Many times, water was supplied from a hole dug in the mountain ditch. But that water was not pure."
Ahmed Ullah, a resident of Camp-26, said that in 2021, the DPHE had implemented a project to conserve water from mountain springs and rain.
"After the launch of that project, our water crisis is gone. Everyone in the camp is getting enough clean water."
Cox's Bazar DPHE Executive Engineer Md Mostafizur Rahman said water collected from rainfall, mountain and spring sources is stored and purified through water treatment plant to provide water to Rohingyas.
Residents in Nayapara Rohingya camp are supplied with 10 lakh litres of water per day.
The ADB and the DPHE Cox's Bazar Office continue to work to ensure purified and safe drinking water for the Rohingya population through this project.
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