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Over 16 lakh drought-hit people get drinking water in Barind tract

BSS . Rajshahi
10 Apr 2023 00:00:00 | Update: 09 Apr 2023 23:00:28
Over 16 lakh drought-hit people get drinking water in Barind tract

More than 16.58 lakh villagers are getting drinking water through pipeline-based water supply installations, including 1,579 deep tube wells, in the water-stressed Barind area for the last couple of years.

The villagers located in the drought-prone areas are getting arsenic-free safe drinking water from 3.2 lakh household connections through 79,310 tap points around the year directly at present.

Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), the ever-largest irrigation-providing state-level entity, has brought the households under drinking water supply coverage by implementing a project titled "Drinking Piped Water Supply from Irrigation Deep Tube-wells" in 25 upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts.

Some 1,579 water supply installations including an equal number of overhead tanks, a 4,190-kilometre distribution lines and other necessary systems were constructed in four consecutive phases of the project since last 1995.

BMDA Executive Director Engineer Abdur Rashid told BSS that the initiative was taken to reduce the acute crisis of drinking water in the drought-prone Barind area, especially during the dry season.

In addition to the extension of the water supply installations, he said necessary chemicals and equipment of the water testing laboratory were arranged to make the water free from arsenic contamination and other harmful chemicals.

The main objective of the scheme was to supply round-the-year potable water to every person in the targeted area.

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