Water for three Chittagong Hill Tract villages in Bandarban

Astania Tripura, 82, had to walk a kilometre to get water from a spring for her entire life.

Abdur Rahim Badal back from Bandarbanbdnews24.com
Published : 27 Nov 2016, 04:33 AM
Updated : 27 Nov 2016, 04:35 AM

This old lady, who lives in Tangoziri Parha of Bandarban's Lama Upazila told bdnews24.com that she now collects water from a ring well next to her home.

"It took me more than one hour to bring water. I had to take a bath after every two or three days. Now I have the well next to my house," she said.

"We suffered diarrhoea because we drank that spring water. But there is no diarrhoea now," said Janata Tripura, a mother of two.    

Astania and Janata are among around 1,500 people of Tangoziri Parha, Boli Parha of Thanchi Upazila, and Chimbuk Pabla Headman Parha of Bandarban Sadar Upazila, where the Tk 5 million sub-projects of the Second Chittagong Hill Tracts Rural Development Project has been implemented.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government jointly funded the project.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) passed the Tk 5.05 billion second phase of the project in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sep 13, 2011.

The work in the sub-projects included construction of stairs and steps, access roads and footpaths, earthen dams, deep tube wells, ring wells, and water reservoir tanks. Power tillers were also bought under the project to help the farmers in these hill districts.

In Boli Parha, 100 Marma families had to drink water from the Sangu River, which is a kilometre away from the village.

Now they have an earthen dam, four deep tube wells and two water reservoir tanks.

Prugesing Marma, who graduated earlier this year, said she was 'very happy' that they do not have to use river water anymore to drink or cook.

Local union council member Sathuikhoi Marma, however, feels that they need another tank.

In Chimbuk, the highest residential area of Bangladesh, Murong families of Pabla Headman Parha now have an access road, footpath and stair and steps to easily collect water from an earthen dam.

The road is also helping the people access the main road safely and quickly , Rengchong Murong, a resident of the village, said.

ADB's Dhaka office Senior Project Director Shaheedul Alam told bdnews24.com he thinks the objectives of the sub-projects have been achieved.

Deputy Director Jogesh Chandra Tanchanga said the main goal of the project was to reduce poverty among the rural people of the hill areas.

"I hope that goal will be achieved as well," he said.

The main project, aimed at socio-economic development in CHT, is supposed to end in 2019.