Judicious use of coastal fresh groundwater stressed

The government needs to make sure that the scanty reserve of fresh groundwater along the coastal districts is not overexploited for agriculture so that it could help resolve the drinking water crisis the people of those areas have long been facing, experts say. "This freshwater in the coastal region must be preserved to meet the demand for safe drinking water. It should not be used for irrigation or commercial purposes, as the aquifers take a century or even centuries to be recharged with fresh water," said hydro-geologists Anwar Zahid. After the three-year study on the groundwater aquifers at different depths along 19 southern districts of the country, BWDB researchers have come to a conclusion about the existence of freshwater aquifers within 800-1,000 feet below the surface in 18 districts, but groundwater aquifers at lesser depths in those districts were found to be affected by salinity intrusion. According to the research findings, freshwater was traced within 800-1,000 feet depth in all of the districts, except Satkhira, while Gopalganj, Pirojpur and some parts of Barguna districts had freshwater under 1,100 feet, according to a news agency.