Global One Bangladesh bringing potable water to remote Char residents

Publish: 9:53 PM, January 25, 2022 | Update: 9:53 PM, January 25, 2022

Abdul Hamid Khan, Pabna
The mighty river Padma divides Pabna and Kushtia in the eastern part of the country. Lack of potable water was a constant part of the miserable life of the people on the banks of the Padma. They used to suffer from various ailments including diarrhoea for twelve months after drinking river water. With the humanitarian help of Global One Bangladesh, their lives have suddenly started to change. In the meantime, Global One Bangladesh has installed 40 shallow tube wells in the vast chars of Pabna-Kushtia which is far less than the requirement but has met the shortage of potable water of the people in the remote chars.

The remote areas of Dogachhi Union of Pabna Sadar Upazila are: These deep villages on the banks of the Padma are inhabited by extremely poor and marginalized people. And the demand for their survival is very small. Their long-standing demand was for two-course meals, clothes and safe drinking water. They are very happy that Global One Bangladesh has come forward to meet the minimum demand. Talking to many people around the char area, their expression has been known. Champa Khatun, Shahana Khatun from Charsadirajpur in Pabna district, and Rahima from Chargobindpur in Kushtia Kumarkhali, now have a smile on their face when they collect drinking water. They said that during the rainy season, there was water all around, but I could not get a drop of drinking water. Drinking water had to be fetched from far away. They said, “God has mercy on me. I am now free of concern in search of potable water. Global One has come and given us a new source of fetching water.”

More than 56 percent of the people in Bangladesh do not have access to safe drinking water. Water is also unfitted for drinking due to arsenic and salinity in this remote char area of Pabna-Kushtia. Drinking water is the 7th of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which the government is working to ensure for 100% of the population by 2030.

And to help the government achieve its SDG targets, the London-based international organization Global One Bangladesh is installing shallow tube wells to ensure safe drinking water for the destitute people in the Pabna-Kushtia chars. Concerned quarters believe that this will ensure safe drinking water for the people of the vast char areas.

Global One correspondent spoke with Ramzan Ali about this. He said Global One is working on drinking water system in the border chars of Pabna Kushtia region. “I think with the continuation of this work of Global One, the problem of drinking water in these remote areas will be reduced a lot”, he added.