The water table has dropped 20 feet below ground level in Khulna’s Koyra, Paikgachha, Batiaghata and Dacope upazilas, creating a severe shortage of safe drinking water in the four areas.
People in the upazilas are suffering badly as extreme heat has combined with a lack of drinking water.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner raised the issue of the water crisis in the areas at the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference in Dhaka from 3 March to 6 March.
Locals said the filling up of the Shibsa, Bhairab, Haria, Kazibacha, Kapotakkha, Shailmari, Haribhadra and Atrai rivers near the Sundarbans has destroyed sources of safe water.
The spread of brackish water due to bagda shrimp farming in Koyra, Paikgachha, Batiaghata and Dumuria has also deepened the crisis.
Water shortages have been reported in Garaikhali, Soladana, Deluti, Laskar, Haridhali, Lata and Chandkhali unions of Paikgachha, Surkhali, Jalma and Batiaghata unions of Batiaghata, and Amadi, Bagali and Maheshwaripur unions of Koyra.
The rainfall recorded from March to May was not enough to restore the water table. Department of Public Health Engineering Khulna Sub-Assistant Engineer Suman Kumar Roy said deep tube wells had failed in Amadi, Bagali and Maharajpur unions.
He said only 20 per cent of deep tube wells installed in Uttar Bedkashi and Dakshin Bedkashi unions had been successful, but water was not rising through the tube wells. In some areas, a small amount of water is available, but it is saline.
People in the areas mainly depend on rainwater, he said, adding that there is no new initiative to resolve the crisis.
Dacope Upazila Public Health Engineer Md Abdullah Al Mahmud said people in Tildanga, Pankhali, Sutarkhali, Kamarkhola, Laudob, Kailashganj and Banishanta unions face water shortages for eight months of the year.
He said 40,000 water storage tanks were supplied 10 years ago to ease the crisis for local residents. However, deep tube wells have been successful in Bajuwa and Dacope unions.
Department of Public Health Engineering Batiaghata Sub-Assistant Engineer Runa Akter Sumi told the correspondent that the water table had dropped 25 feet in three unions.
She said water containing 1,000 milligrams of salinity is considered drinkable, but the salinity level in the three unions is much higher.
Paikgachha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Wasiuzzaman Chowdhury said about 1,50,000 people in the area suffer from drinking water shortages during the dry season.
People living along the Shibsa riverbank have been facing a safe water crisis for several years. Deluti and Shamukpota areas of the upazila suffer from drinking water shortages throughout the year.
According to records of the Department of Agricultural Extension, no major rainfall was recorded in the current season. Rainfall of 33.70 millimetres was recorded in April, while 50 millimetres was recorded in May.
The lack of expected rainfall has caused the water table to fall further during the dry season.
