Severe Drinking Water Crisis in Narayanganj Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Suffering

A severe shortage of safe drinking water has hit several wards of Narayanganj City Corporation, leaving hundreds of thousands of people suffering. Frustrated residents have taken to the streets and blocked roads to demand a regular water supply.

Residents alleged that the water pump in the Chowdhury Bari area of Siddhirganj had been out of order for several weeks, causing an acute shortage across the area. They said they had repeatedly tried to draw the authorities’ attention to the problem and had staged protests over the past few days.

The faulty pump has disrupted water supply in the Chowdhury Bari Bou-Bazar area, leaving residents struggling with cooking, bathing and other daily needs. Women, children and elderly people have been particularly affected.

For the past week, Swapan Ahmed, president of Tantkhana Baitul Aman Central Mosque, has been supplying free water from a submersible pump at his home to more than 150 families.

A visit to the area found men, women and children gathering outside his house from early morning with pitchers, buckets, jars and other containers. They stood in queues to collect water, with the crowd growing as the day progressed.

Mr Swapan said residents were suffering because of the faulty pump. He had arranged to supply water from his own pump to ease their hardship. He said he considered his neighbours family and felt it was his responsibility to stand by them.

Residents said they were struggling even to collect drinking water, while cooking, bathing, washing clothes and other daily activities had also been disrupted. Many had to travel to distant areas to collect water. Women, children and elderly people were bearing the brunt of the crisis.

On Sunday, residents blocked a road to demand the restoration of water supply, disrupting traffic in the area. They called for the pump to be repaired quickly.

Residents said the prolonged disruption had fuelled public anger. They were further worried after being told that repairs could take up to 15 days. They believe the situation could have been avoided if the authorities had acted promptly after the pump broke down.

Sahida Begum, a resident of Ward 8, told Inqilab that her house was next to the pump station, yet she did not receive water.

She said the shortage had worsened in recent days, forcing her to buy drinking water. Her children could not bathe properly, and she questioned how tenants could manage when a household needed so much water every day. She said she sometimes stayed awake until 3am, hoping for water from the tap, but the supply remained unavailable even then.

Another resident, Alamgir Hossain, told Inqilab that water shortages had become a persistent problem. Although water was occasionally available, the supply remained disrupted most of the time, making daily life difficult.

Narayanganj City Corporation Assistant Engineer (Civil) Abdullah Al Zubayer said the pump was old and an inspection using a camera had revealed a cracked housing pipe inside the tubewell. About 400 feet of the tubewell had become filled with stones and sand, making a quick repair impossible.

He said a team of specialists was being brought from Dhaka to address the problem. They would first clear the accumulated sand, remove the damaged pipe and install a new one. The work would be similar to rebuilding the tubewell and could take at least 15 days. The estimated cost is Tk 15 lakh to Tk 20 lakh.

Crisis in Bandar

Meanwhile, a severe shortage of safe drinking water has also affected Bandar, where more than 500,000 people across nine wards of Narayanganj City Corporation have reportedly been suffering for years. Frequent pump failures, ageing pipelines, poor maintenance and alleged negligence by the authorities have worsened the situation.

Residents said a pump in the Deuli Chowrapara area of Ward 24 broke down in August 2022. As it has not been repaired, severe water shortages have affected Deuli Chowrapara, Amirabad, Baktarkandi, Kaitakhali, Noad da, Patakata, Dashergaon and Lakshankhola in Wards 24 and 25. Wards 21, 22 and 23 are also facing acute shortages.

Residents said they had submitted memorandums, held human chains and staged processions carrying pitchers to demand action. However, they alleged that the city corporation had taken no effective steps to restore the pumps. They now collect drinking water from nearby mosques and other sources.

Shaheen, a resident of Deuli Chowrapara in Ward 24, told Inqilab that Dhaka WASA began supplying water to the area about two decades ago but handed over responsibility to Narayanganj City Corporation around five years ago. He alleged that the supply system began to deteriorate after the transfer, adding that the water reaching homes through pipelines was unfit for drinking and contaminated with dirt and waste.

Raju, operator of the Lakshankhola-Dashergaon pump in Ward 25, said power problems and cable theft frequently disrupted water supply. He said the authorities had been informed.

Mr Zubayer, the city corporation’s assistant engineer responsible for water supply, said the Chowrapara pump in Ward 24 had broken down and approval had been granted to install a new one. It would be installed soon, he said, adding that initiatives had also been taken to maintain normal water supply across all wards.

Crisis in Ward 14

Residents of D.N. Road in the Deobhog North Road area of Ward 14 have also been facing a prolonged water crisis. The breakdown of a submersible pump at the local Sher-e-Bangla Government Primary School has left residents struggling without an adequate supply for more than a month, disrupting cooking, bathing and other daily activities.