The prices of water purifying tablets shot up three times the normal as the demand for the medicine soared high because of large-scale water contamination by floods.

People in the flood-ravaged areas have been advised to drink water using water-purifying tablets, but their only manufacturer -- Sonear Laboratories -was forced to stop its production last month because of complications about raw material import and expiry of import permission.

As a result, the prices of tablets brand-named Halotab, still available in stockpile, have increased from Tk 41.32 to Tk 120 a box of 100 in foil-strips.

"We could not open a letter of credit

from any commercial bank as we had a banking problem. Our import permission from the Drug Administration for raw material expired on June 30 to make things worse," Dr MA Obaidah, managing director of the pharmaceuticals company.

"However, we received permission to import the raw material -- Halazone -on July 22," he said.

"A shipment of 100 kilograms of the raw material was to arrive by air from India on August 1, but we did not receive the consignment for unknown reasons. Once we get it, we can manufacture

50 lakh tablets in seven days," Dr

Obaidah said.

The company has increased its manufacture of Halodrop, a brand of liquid water-purifying agent, each priced at Tk 10 a 10-millilitre container.

Another manufacturer of liquid agent

that kills bacteria in contaminated drinking water has also increased its production because of high demand.

The product brand-named -- Clotech made by Global Heavy Chemicals -- is now available in plastic containers priced at Tk 52 a two-litre bottle and Tk 97 a four-litre bottle.

The manufacturer claims that 16 drops of the liquid in five litres of pond or open surface water can kill any bacteria.

"Before adding the liquid, users must remove suspended particles from water. It is safe and convenient," said Md Kamruzzaman, chief coordinator of Global Heavy Chemicals. "We have outlets in 17 greater districts and are ready to face any consumer demand."

The crisis of safe drinking water turned severe, as most tubewells have been inundated.