Adibasis and hard to reach people of four unions of Nachole upazila under Chapainawabganj district have been getting pure drinking water and sanitation facilities.Non-government organization Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) has been providing them with the facilities with the association of NGO Forum for Public Health under its project titled ‘Promotion of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene in Hard to Reach Areas of Rural Bangladesh.
The NGO is providing people with the supply of pure drinking water and sanitary latrines.
It was disclosed in an open discussion meeting arranged by ASSEDO and Nizampur Union Parishad jointly with the association of NGO Forum for Public Health, Rajshahi at the conference room of Nizampur union parishad under Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj district on Monday.
Executive director of ASSEDO Agriculturist Rabiul Alom, manager of NGO Forum for Public Health, Rajshahi region Mizanur Rahman, UP members Beraful begum and Taslim Uddin, Engineer Rafiur Rahman and field programme facilitator of Nachole branch of ASSEDO Nazmul Islam Palash spoke in the meeting.
UP member Taslim Uddin said, during the dry season, they can not lift under ground water through tube wells in his village Kajal Kishore as the water layer goes down. 45 out of 50 tube wells of the area become inoperative during the period, he added. Each tube well requires Tk. 40,000 to install, he added.
Palash said, in 1991, the water layer in the area was within 40 feet which has now gone below 140 feet.
After the discussion meeting, they visited the Barishalla Adibasi village in Nizampur union in which 28 adibasi families live.
ASSEDO installed a hand tube well and constructed three sanitary latrines in the village where only six months ago people had to bring water from one and half a kilometres away.
Azizur Rahman Shishir. Adibasi people Sharathi Murmu, Kichlia Murmu, Sherina Hasda and Ganesh Hemrom said, only one tube well and three latrines are not sufficient for 28 families.
They demanded more such tube wells and latrines. It was also observed that ASSEDO has given six eco-san toilets in nearby Jhinapukur village. Here the toilet users can get organic fertilizer from these toilets to use them in their crop fields.
The NGO officials informed that they are implementing the project through 72 village development committees in Nachole sadar, Kosba, Nizampur and Fatepur unions.
From December, 2011 till April, 2013 they installed 16 tube wells and constructed 150 sanitary latrines and six eco-san toilets. With a view to providing 150 families of the area with pure drinking water, a participatory project of Tk. 16,60,000 has been taken up. NGO Forum would give Tk. 15,00,000 and the rest of the amount would be realized from the beneficiaries, they said.
(Our Correspondent)
