Access to potable water for coastal people

Today is World Water Day, 22 March, 2021. So we love to share our local voice among the global communities. We have celebrated World Water Day together with the local people where people are crying for drinking water. Today we developed a water crisis map and a pathway to solve this problem with the local people.

According to the recent UNDP survey 73 percent of the people living in five coastal upazilas such as Koyra, Dacope, Paikgachha of Khulna and Assasuni and Shyamnagar of Satkhira have to drink unsafe saline water. In the dry season or winter, the salinity level of water in Shyamnagar goes up to 6,600mg per litre, more than six times the permissible limit. The study, which ended in February, also found that 63 percent of the people face difficulties even in getting that water as they have no other source of drinking water. Women are solely responsible for collecting the drinking water. Due to cyclone Aila in 2009, many ponds became full of salt water. Most have remained so for even more than a decade. Cyclone Amphan caused a similar havoc. Lately, salt water is being found in different tiers of the ground there, Alamgir added.

With the support of donors like you, BEDS (Bangladesh Environment and Development Society) has been trying to solve this drinking water crisis through our local initiatives. Around 5,500 people from five villages of Banishanta Union under dacope sub-district are getting safe drinking water from our installed Solar Powered Pond Sand and Filter with Reverse Osmosis and Water ATM. Water crisis of these villagers have been reduced, villagers access to safe drinking water becomes easier, water borne diseases are alleviated, women’s water collection time is also reduced.

Hope your cooperation will be reduced the crisis of safe drinking water at the coastal region of Bangladesh. We love to see the happy children, woman and coastal families.

Life without water is unimaginable. Safe drinking water is a fundamental right for people. Bangladesh has an abundance of water, with around 24,000 km of rivers flowing through its fertile land. But in regards to access of safe drinking water; almost 4.3 million people are deprived which means they are unable to frequently wash their hands and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Majority of the Sundarbans coastal people are lacked of safe drinking water. They mainly depend on rain water and pond water for their drinking purpose. In summer, water level of the ponds gets lower and sometimes dried. So, people have to drink saline water. In maximum cases, they drink pond water directly without even purifying it. So, marginal people fall in waterborne diseases like diarrhea and dysentery.

Realizing this condition, Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) started safe drinking water support activities in 2015. BEDS introduced 3 solar powered Pond Sand and Filter system and in three villages of Sundarbans coastal region. BEDS also introduced two Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems with Water ATM. Almost 4,594 villagers are getting safe drinking water from our established facilities. Last year, BEDS has also established 7 water wells in Khulna and Bagerhat districts of Bangladesh. From those water wells; around 3000 villagers are getting safe drinking water.

But a big number of villagers are still deprived of safe drinking water in our target area i.e. Banishanta union under Dacope sub district of Khulna district in Bangladesh where 16,124 people live in. We want to establish 2 more RO system with Water ATMs for the better access of villagers towards safe drinking water sources. But it is you, our kind hearted donors; who can make this possible. So, we are requesting all our donors to stand beside the poor coastal deprived villagers. It is also our request to all our donors to start monthly recurring donation from now.