5 villages in Tentulia suffer due to falling water level

A severe drinking water crisis has emerged in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh. Most of the tubewells in at least five villages have become ineffective due to the significant decline in the groundwater level. Thousands of families are living in extreme misery. According to local sources, for the last five years, water has not been coming to the tubewells in Siddiknagar, Mominpara, Sahebjyot, Eidgabasti and Puran Bazar areas of Tentulia for seven to eight months of the year.
As a result, the people of this area have to rely on the only tubewell installed on the banks of the Mahananda River near the border. It is seen on the ground that locals stand in long lines in front of that single tubewell every day since dawn to collect water. This is further increasing the suffering of women, children and the elderly. Siddiknagar residents Rabiul Islam and Mosharraf Hossain said that now everything from drinking water to bathing water has to be brought from tube wells next to the river.
The suffering is increasing day by day, but water is not coming to their tube wells. Although men can somehow bring water, it has become very difficult for women and the elderly. Locals complain that although the problem has been reported to the administration for a long time, no effective initiative has been taken so far. They have demanded immediate government intervention.
In this context, Mithun Kumar Roy, Deputy Assistant Engineer of Tentulia Upazila of the Public Health Engineering Department, said that this crisis has arisen due to unplanned extraction of groundwater. Where the water level was 70 to 80 feet five years ago, now it has dropped to 110 to 120 feet. As a result, it is not possible to draw water from ordinary tube wells. Submersible pumps are needed to solve this crisis. A quick solution is possible if allocation is received. Tentulia Upazila Administration Executive Officer Afroz Shahin Khasru said, “A project proposal has been sent to install submersible pumps as an alternative to deal with the situation. If the allocation is received quickly, the crisis will be somewhat reduced. The concerned officials have been instructed to take necessary measures in this regard.”