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.