Groundwater contamination triggers pure water crisis in Gopalganj

The increasing contamination of groundwater by salinity, iron, and heavy metals in Gopalganj district plunged many residents into a dire state, leaving them grappling with a shortage of drinkable water, reports UNB.
People without access to pure water also suffer from various waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and skin problems.
However, the crisis remains persistent in many areas, signalling the need for further strategic action to overcome the problem.
During a visit to the district, some affected people shared how they suffer while collecting drinkable water during the summer amid scorching temperatures when the groundwater level falls.
"It is my daily routine to collect water from the deep tube well carrying a heavy pitcher, except for rainy days. It's an arduous task, but I have no other choice," said Laboni, a resident of Gopalganj municipality's Mandartola Swapner Thikana area.
Barkatullah, another resident of the area, said, "We have two ponds and a distant tube well as our water sources. Unfortunately, the water in the ponds is heavily contaminated. Bathing in it leads to skin diseases and various health issues for our children, and even drinking it causes diarrhoea and other health complications."
"For our livelihood, the biggest challenge we face is accessing safe drinking water in our area. We want to get rid of this problem," he said.
Lipi Begum, a housewife in Gopalganj Sardar Upazila's Ratoil union, said they used to fetch water from deep tube wells located far away.
"We did not get satisfaction from drinking that water while suffering from various problems due to the high level of iron concentration," she shared.
Kamrul Gaji, a government official at the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) in Gopalganj district, said the surface water in many areas of the district contains high levels of heavy metals, such as unsafe levels of iron, salt apart from arsenic, leading to a shortage of pure drinking water sources.