Chuadanga's water crisis worsens amid heatwave
Abu Hasnat, a resident of Dashmi Para in Chuadanga's Damurhuda Sadar, wipes the sweat across his brow.
His lips are parched, but for now he must wait to quench the thirst. For the past week, temperature has spiked in Chaudanga, reaching a country highest of 42.2 degrees Celsius yesterday.
With the heat has come another crisis: the lack of drinkable water.
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Hasnat says he has a 1,000 litre water tank on the roof of his house. Usually, it could be filled by running the water for 15-20 minutes.
Over the past month-and-a-half, obtaining the necessary water has become increasingly challenging despite running the motor for two to three hours.
The plummeting water levels in parts of Chuadanga have led to a significant decline in water availability from tube wells and electric motors, making access to water nearly impossible during the sweltering summer months.
The water level in the region has receded by around 10 to 15 feet.
As a result, a severe shortage of drinking water has ensued in the district, which is currently experiencing a 'very severe' heatwave.
Damurhuda is one of the hardest hit so far.
According to sources from the Damurhuda Upazila Public Health Engineering Office, more than half of the 50,000 government and private tube wells in the upazila are now failing to extract water.
In several areas such as Damurhuda Sadar, Sadabari, Madana, Darshana, Natipota, Howli, Kurulgachi, and Karpasdanga, over three thousand tube wells have completely dried up, while those still functioning yield minimal water.
Even newly installed tube wells are failing to alleviate the water scarcity.
The situation has prompted many residents to tap into once-unused wells or "Indaras" for basic necessities like cooking and laundry.
Moreover, an increasing number of individuals are turning to the installation of deep tube wells, digging holes up to 10-12 feet deep to access groundwater.
Karpasdanga UP Chairman Abdul Karim Biswas said nearly every village in his union has been grappling with dwindling water resources.
"While a handful of tube wells are working, the volume extracted is minimal. Residents are being compelled to lower the water pipe deeper, typically by 8 to 10 feet, inside their homes. Those lacking such a system struggle to meet their water demands, resorting to seeking water from neighbouring households," he said.
Abdul Karim Biswas warned that the situation is poised to worsen unless measures are taken promptly, with the looming threat of water scarcity intensifying as the heatwave persists.
Rafiqul Islam, the public health engineer of Damurhuda upazila, attributed the declining water levels to unsustainable groundwater extraction and the widespread filling of ponds and canals.
"The water level is dropping by six to eight feet annually. A decade ago, groundwater in this region was typically found at depths of 40 to 60 feet. However, nowadays, even during the monsoon season, water levels are not accessible until depths of 100 to 140 feet," he said, noting that the situation may deteriorate further if it doesn't rain soon.
