Own Correspondent: Reckless extraction of underground water is going on in Chittagong. Groundwater is being extensively extracted for industrial and agricultural irrigation, commercial sale as mineral water, and personal consumption. The water level has dropped far below the ground. Drinking water is 1,000 to 1,500 feet deep in different areas of Chittagong district.
Thousands of shallow tubewells have become inactive as the water level has dropped too low. While every year thousands of deep tube wells are being allocated at the individual level in various districts of the country, including Chittagong, through the Directorate of Public Health Engineering, In this situation, the shortage of fresh water has increased in various areas of Chittagong district. As there is no official system of providing drinking water in the district, people are leaning towards installing tube wells. Experts said that reckless extraction of groundwater should be prevented. Because of the amount of water being extracted, that amount of water is not entering the underground.
The water level is dropping rapidly. In this regard, the former VC of Chuet and USTC Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Jahangir Alam told the media that the amount of water extracted is not going underground. As there is no system of rainwater storage, it is going to the sea through drains and canals. Ponds and canals are filling up. If reckless extraction of groundwater continues, the risk of natural disasters, including landslides and earthquakes, will increase. As a result, efforts should be made to conserve rainwater and purify river and sea water to make it suitable for use. At present, there is a service water system in the Chittagong metropolitan area. River water is being purified and supplied at the Wasar Water Treatment Plant Project. Despite that, the water demand is being met by installing thousands of deep tubewells at the individual level in the city.
About 60 deep tube wells are also operational under the WASA initiative. But the service water supply system has not yet been developed at the upazila level. Initiatives to implement the service water project are also limited by the government. It is seen that the shortage of fresh water in the village is increasing. In many areas, men and women are collecting fresh water from several kilometers away. This has increased the suffering of people who drink water. According to the Public Health Engineering Department, thousands of shallow tubewells have become inoperable in the village. 300-400 feet deep, fresh water is not found.
The water that is available is high in arsenic. not fit for drinking. It is being used for other purposes. At present, two service water projects are under construction in Banshkhali and Chandnaish upazilas in Chittagong district. Here, water will be taken from nearby rivers and supplied through pipelines to the consumer level after purification. In addition, in some upazilas, the government has taken the initiative to dig ponds. But due to the non-availability of government land, the pond-digging project is not being implemented. According to related sources, the Patia, Karnaphuli upazila, Sitakunda, and Mirsrai areas of Chittagong have experienced the greatest shortage of fresh water. Fresh water is not available in these areas even at depths of one and a half thousand feet.
The industries range from light to heavy. Underground water is being extracted by installing deep tube wells in the factories for their own needs. Three-four-foot-deep tubewells have also been installed in one factory. As a result, the tubewell installed in the residential area around the factory is becoming inactive. People don’t get redress even after complaining. As a result, they have to meet their drinking water needs by collecting mineral water or water from far away. Commercial water sales are increasing as a result of the fresh water crisis. Deedar is being sold to various institutions, including homes, under the name of mineral water by extracting water from deep tube wells without a license from BSTI or related organizations.
Palash Chandra Das, Executive Engineer of the Chittagong Department of Public Health and Engineering, said that service water supply will be increased by the government at the upazila level. Deep-tube well allocation activities will be reduced. Groundwater is being used more during industrial and boreal seasons. The water level is dropping rapidly. We also need to focus on rainwater conservation.
