Tk 1 cr for safe drinking water in Aila-hit areas
Tk 47 lakh for Khulna, Tk 53 lakh for Satkhira
A pond at Ramnagar village in Dakope upazila in Khulan district is the only source of drinking water in four unions as most of the ponds in the area have remained affected with salinity since last year's cyclone Aila. Inset, a large number of people with pitchers queue up for drinking water at a water supply point, set up by Public Health Engineering Department with the financial assistance from Unicef, at Gunari in the same upazila. Photo: STAR
Government has allocated Tk one crore for implementation of Safe Water Supply Programme (SWSP) in the Aila affected areas of Khulna and Satkhira districts. The programme will continue for 75 days from the day of receiving the fund, said a source at Khulna office of public health engineering department (PHED). Of the total allocation, Khulna would get Tk 47 lakh while Satkhira Tk 53 lakh, the source said adding, deputy commissioners of the two districts will receive the fund through the chief engineer of PHED. The fund will be spent by the upazila disaster management committee in the affected areas, the source pointed out. The PHED assisted by Unicef has been distributing safe drinking water at 21 points of Dakope upazila, six points of Koira upazila in Khulna district and 13 points of Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district since last February. Under the SWS programme 1,25,000 litres of safe drinking water will be distributed every day. Of this, 30,000 litres will be distributed in Dakope upazila, 25,000 litres in Koira upazila of Khulna district while 58,000 litres in Shyamnagar upazila and 12,000 litres in Assasuni upazila of Satkhira district. Cyclonic storm Aila on May 25 last year destroyed almost all sources of safe drinking water in the affected upazilas of Khulna and Satkhira districts. According to sources at Khulna PHED, Aila destroyed 1161 pond sand filters, 5231 tubewells and 1846 ponds of sweet water in the affected areas. Meanwhile, Khulna PHED office so far reinstalled 4076 tubewells, 46 rain water harvestors and 806 pond sand filters. Superintendent Engineer at Khulna office of PHE department Md Kamal Uddin Ahmed told this correspondent that the allocated fund is not adequate for ensuring safe drinking water for thousands of homeless people in the Aila affected upazilas of Khulna and Satkhira districts.
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