Southwestern region cry out for water

In areas such as Subarnachar in Noakhali district, along with Jashore and Meherpur, people are not getting drinking water, let alone irrigation water. For the last 12-13 days, water has not been coming up from tube wells as the water level has dropped. Very little water is coming from the shallow machines as well. Consequently, farmers are forced to use extra fuel to irrigate their lands, while common people are suffering immensely to obtain the required water.

Experts say that due to climate change, there is less rainfall during the monsoon season. On the other hand, people in these areas are extracting more water due to demand. These two factors have caused the water level to go down. Once the new monsoon rains arrive, the water level in these areas will rise again, and water will be available.

Meanwhile, like other days, the heatwave continued across the country on Monday. The temperature was 40.6 degrees Celsius in Jashore, 40.5 degrees in Chuadanga and Khulna. As a result, the daily lives of low-income people in these areas have become unbearable due to the intense heat. They have to go out of their homes for their livelihoods even in such scorching heat. No one else is going out of their homes except for emergencies. 

Amid the ongoing heatwave, two farmers died on Monday in Madaripur and Sitakunda due to heatstroke. With this, the total number of deaths from heatstroke across the country has reached 10. The meteorological department has issued a heat alert.

When asked about this, water expert Professor Ainun Nishat of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) told The Daily Messenger, “There is water in these areas, but the water level has gone down, which is why the tubewells are not getting water. Normally, the water level remains within 26-28 feet, which allows the tubewells to draw water.”  

Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Dean of the Science Faculty of Stamford University Bangladesh, commented that the groundwater level has dropped significantly even in non-coastal areas.

He told The Daily Messenger, “Earlier, for agricultural purposes, ponds, water bodies, and river water were sufficient for eight months of the year. In other words, surface water was used for eight months, and groundwater was used for four months. But due to the Farakka Barrage, the destruction of ponds, water bodies, and river flows, there is a water crisis in the northern and southwestern regions of the country. This is a human-made crisis, and it will not be resolved easily.”

Ahmad Kamruzzaman also said, “Due to the Farakka Barrage, agricultural lands have been desertified for the last two decades. Being a river-based country, the use of surface water above the groundwater level has decreased, while the heatwave has increased the demand for water. We are now paying the price for the increased demand for water.”

River researcher Mohammad Azaz told The Daily Messenger, “Last year, there was less rainfall during the Ashar-Shravan months. With less monsoon water, farmers are forced to use groundwater, causing the water level to drop below 28 feet. This is why farmers are not getting water either. The situation will become more dire in a few years.”

A recent United Nations report shows that 26 per cent of the world's population is suffering from a drinking water crisis. On the other hand, 41 per cent of Bangladesh's population does not have access to safe water.

In a study by MA Wahed, General Secretary of Bangladesh Nirapad Pani Andolon, it has been shown that people have pushed rivers towards death through oppression without preserving the environment, surroundings, and biodiversity. Due to encroachment, filling, and waste, the rivers have become stagnant, devoid of flow and polluted to the point of being unusable for water and devoid of biodiversity. The flow of the Tista River has decreased significantly. The Padma and Tista are now almost dead, while chars have formed in the Jamuna. The Buriganga, Turag, Balu, and Shitalakkhya are gasping for breath under the burden of encroachment, filling, and pollution.

As the rivers are drying up or have no water, dependence on groundwater is increasing. Due to the depletion of groundwater and the disappearance of rivers, the level of surface or groundwater is constantly decreasing. Bangladesh faces the persistent challenge of widespread flooding during the monsoon season and water shortages during the dry season. During the dry season, surface water-based irrigation systems for agriculture are being disrupted.

MA Wahed mentioned that the groundwater level in Dhaka is decreasing by two meters every year. He said, “In 1970, water could be found just 6 meters below the surface in Dhaka city. In 1996, the water level in Dhaka was at 25 meters, which went down to 45 meters in 2005, 60 meters in 2010, and has reached 75 meters in 2024.”

He then suggests incorporating the use of surface water into urban planning and housing planning. He recommends that all cities, including Dhaka WASA, should reduce dependence on groundwater and prioritize using water from rivers or water bodies through short, medium, and long-term master plans and implementation. This includes 14 recommendations, such as establishing Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) in industries and factories to treat wastewater and sewage, taking measures to recharge groundwater through rainwater harvesting, ensuring proper septic tanks and soak wells in residential and non-residential areas, strict enforcement of water laws for water body conservation, etc.

The Daily Messenger correspondent Billal Hossain from Jashore reported that the water level has dropped 35 feet below the surface. As a result, for the last 13 days, tubewells in areas like Chandutiara, Churamonkati, Chhatiantala, Khitirbadia, Badiatola, Jhaudia, Bagdanga, Dougachia, Sajiali, Kamalapur in Sadar Upazila are not drawing water properly.

Officials from the Irrigation Department of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) informed that this situation has arisen due to the groundwater level dropping 30 feet below the surface.

Abdullah Al Rashid, Superintending Engineer (Irrigation) of BWDB Jashore, said the groundwater level has decreased, leading to this situation. It will improve once rainfall occurs. There are 1,867 deep tubewells in Jashore district, irrigating 25,223 hectares of land. Additionally, there are 63,793 shallow tubewells, irrigating 1,23,482 hectares of land.

The Daily Messenger correspondent Mahbub Chandu from Meherpur reported that the drinking water crisis has become severe in several areas like Amtail, Manikdia, Keshobnagar, Shimultala, Roierkandi, Sohorabaria in Sholotaka Union under Gangni Upazila, and Garabaria and Dhola in Kathuli union since the beginning of the dry season, as the groundwater level is dropping.

Normally, the water level remains 50-60 feet below the surface in these areas. Due to the prolonged absence of rainfall, the natural water sources are gradually drying up, causing difficulties in household chores and raising concerns about irrigation for Boro cultivation among farmers. They said the water crisis has started even before the summer season, with most tubewells not drawing water, even though they are the last resort for drinking water in villages.

Environmental activist Shakhawat Ullah tells The Daily Messenger, “Even 700-800 feet deep tubewells in Subarnachar are not getting water. They usually rely on these tubewells for drinking water. The water crisis starts in March for the last 5-6 years. Earlier, no paddy cultivation took place in the dry season, but for the last 7-8 years, BWDB has encouraged farmers by installing irrigation pumps. BWDB has installed more than 200 submersible pumps to provide irrigation water from 1500-2000 feet depth. Apart from BWDB pumps, affluent people have installed around a thousand submersible pumps to meet water demands, resulting in the depletion of water from ordinary tubewells.”

“There is another water layer at a depth of 30-100 feet, which is slightly saline due to the coastal location. However, this water is crucial for biodiversity. People are now forced to use this upper layer of water through shallow tubewells. If this upper layer is depleted, seawater intrusion will occur, destroying the entire ecosystem, including vegetation and wildlife,” he added. 

Shakhawat Ullah suggests that instead of using deep tubewell water for agriculture, it would be better to store rainwater in canals and use it for cultivation during the dry season.