Dacop people struggling for safe drinking water

Over 2 lakh residents of salinity-hit Khulna’s Dacop upazila have been grappling with a severe shortage of safe drinking water since the onset of the dry season.

Long queues have become a common sight at shops selling purified open water, while some people are resorting to collecting water from distant sources.

The dire situation has forced some residents to consume water from ditches and drains, leading to an outbreak of various waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea.

Dakop, which borders the Sundarbans, consists of three separate islands. Due to the high salinity levels in the surrounding rivers, the region experiences an extreme scarcity of fresh water during the dry season, said locals.

This year, as in previous years, the municipality and nine unions are grappling with an acute shortage of safe drinking water. The scarcity of clean water has even affected the functioning of tea shops, restaurants, and sweet shops, frustrating shopkeepers who are unable to provide clean water to their customers. The agricultural sector has also been severely affected, particularly in the current ‘Robi’ season when Boro paddy and watermelon farmers experiencing substantial losses due to the inability to irrigate their fields.

Most of the shallow tube wells have been lying inoperative and many tubewells contain salt, arsenic, and excessive iron content, exacerbating the water quality issues, said locals. Furthermore, the region experiences insufficient rainfall, further limiting water availability.

Consequently, filtering water from ponds has become the only viable option for the locals. However, the scarcity of water in the inadequate ponds renders most filters or pond sand filters (PSFs) ineffective.

Wealthy individuals in the Batiaghata area of Khulna are able to purchase water from different locations, while middle-class and low-income residents are left with no choice but to consume water directly from the pond.