Cluster village people in Koyra face drinking water shortage

The beneficiaries of Malikhali cluster village project in Koyra upazila of Khulna are living a very inhumane life due to a lack of drinking water.

Despite having nice houses and courtyards to live in, the noble purpose of the project has been thwarted by the lack of clean drinking water and electricity.

More than one-third of the residents have moved away in search of better living opportunities due to the problem.

The current residents have to walk two-three kilometres to collect drinking water or purify the nearby fish pond water at their own expense.

The lack of water source has also left them unable to cultivate vegetables or rear poultry as a source of earning.

Along with the clean water shortage, there is no electricity connection in the village. Without electricity and clean drinking water, the remaining residents continue to live in misery.

Since the establishment of Malikhali cluster village, no initiative has been taken to train the villaagers in self-employment including farming and poultry rearing.

Residents of the village including Salma, Mukta, and Sabur said they were grateful to receive a place to stay, but the lack of clean drinking water in their vicinity has left them in immense suffering.

Clean drinking water has to be bought from tube-wells in Hayatkhali village, about two-three kilometres away, they said.

According to the residents, the water from the tube-wells in Malikhali is not fit for consumption as it is turbid, iron-mixed and salinity-laden. After being left unused for so long the tube-wells have dried up as well.

Some residents bring cooking water from a pond about half a kilometre away. However, as it is privately owned, they are not always permitted to do so.

Due to many of the nearby ponds being used in fish farming, the residents cannot bathe or take water from there.

“There is enough space here to dig a pond to provide water supply. It can provide us with water for consumption and other needs,” said homemaker Salma, adding that she wishes to start vegetable cultivation but is unable to do so due to the lack of a water source.

She also added that in the three years they have lived here there has been no initiative to provide an electricity connection. Some residents were able to set up solar panels while others use kerosene lamps.

Another resident of the village, Mukta, said if there was a proper water supply, they could rear goats, cows or poultry to alleviate their poverty.

“I have to go to the city in search of work as there are no opportunities to earn a livelihood here. We cannot afford to live in the city as it is too expensive,” said Mukta.

She also added that they cannot afford to buy clean drinking water so she collects water from ponds.

In regard to the work estimation and budget allocation for the Malikhali cluster village project and the instructions for water supply and electricity connection Koyra Upazila Project Implementation Office sources said the project was completed under army supervision and the office does not have any documentation.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, assistant engineer of Koyra Upazila Public Health Department said they have received allocations for the Mujib Barsha shelter projects but not for the cluster village projects.

“Since tube-wells failed to provide clean water there, digging up a pond or harvesting rainwater will solve the water crisis,” he said.

Koyra Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mominur Rahman said, “I have discussed the drinking water crisis with the public health officer after joining the office recently. The problem will be solved soon.”

Md Akmal Hossain, the executive engineer of Khulna Public Health Department, said the project does not fall under their jurisdiction. “However, if the upazila administration gives us a written notice for project acceptance, we will make arrangements to provide clean water.”