Safe drinking water crisis in 80 punjee villages

People of around 80 punjee (betel plantations) villages under seven upazilas of Moulvibazar district face acute crisis of safe drinking water as there is no tubewell in those areas.

Indigenous people (Khasi and Garo), mostly betel leaf farmers, have to collect salty water from over 170 wells they dug on the sandy land.

Many people, including children, suffer from various water-borne diseases as they drink impure and salty water, Lari Lamin, 27, a housewife of Nahar punjee, said. "We collect salty water from a well for drinking, cooking and other household works," she told this correspondent during his recent visit to the area.

Thiari Suting, 45, another housewife, said they are suffering from various water-borne diseases like dysentery and diarrhoea as they have no other alternative but to drink impure and salty water.

Visiting Kukijuri punjee, 70 kilometres from Moulvibazar district town, this correspondent found men and women collecting water from wells for drinking and using for household purposes.

"Finding no way, I and my younger brother dug a 250-foot-deep well to overcome water crisis. But drinking water from wells often causes water-borne diseases, especially among children," said Sefhola Richil, 45, a villager.

Most of the children suffered from diarrhoea and dysentery in the last one month due to drinking salty and impure water from the wells, villager Tomas Suting said, adding that the families could not provide medicines for their affected children as they live hand-to-mouth.

"We face acute crisis of safe drinking water for want of tubewells. Water that we collect from the wells is unfit to drink," he said.

"Now we find it difficult to take bath and wash our clothes after doing household chores and agricultural works as water level in the wells is low. We are suffering a lot due to the water crisis," said Johinul Kongwang, headman of Choltacherra punjee.

"We are used to struggling for water every season. The hills that we have selected for planting jhum are too far away from the water sources," said Probin Areng, head teacher of Kukijuri Punjee Education Centre of Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar.

Bably Talang, general secretary of KUBORAZ Inter Punjee Development Association of Khasi people, said around 18 thousand Khasi and Garo indigenous people in 80 punjees under seven upazilas of Moulvibazar district face acute crisis of safe drinking water in the winter as there is no tubewell in those areas.

Bijoy Bunarji, chairman of Rajghat Union Parishad, said people of punjees under the union are facing acute crisis of safe drinking water as there is no tubewell in the area. "We requested the upazila administration several times to ensure safe drinking water for the villagers by sinking tubewells, but to no effect," the chairman told this correspondent. "The water in the wells is unfit for human consumption," he added.

Kamrul Hasan, deputy commissioner of Moulvibazar, did not receive the call when this correspondent tried to contact him.