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They cry for water

IMRUL HASAN
Water crisis is nothing new for residents of Ashkona, Gaoaeer, Uttarkhan, Dokhinkhan, Mollartek and adjoining areas that house over six lakh people.
Supply of water has been scarce during the last 12 months and whatever water is available is often filthy and carries foul odor.
"The situation is most acute in densely populated Prembagan, Kachkura, Haji Elahibox Road, Jobbor-Mizan Road, Nabin Songho Road and adjoining localities," said Lokman Khan, a resident of Nabin Songho Road. He added that most of the water pipes were in a damaged state.
"We have to wait till well into midnight to collect water as there is no supply during the day. Even then the water we get is not sufficient for daily household chores. There are also some houses where they never get that minimum supply even," said Tania Ahmed, a housewife of Prembagan.
Residents also alleged that some influential local people forcibly switch off the pumps after they had collected sufficient water for their houses. "They have their own facilities to extract underground water but they still take most water from the supply line," said a resident.
Locals also complained that Wasa officials seldom visit the area.
"The problem could have been solved if Wasa officials checked the supply to affected areas from time to time. No one is interested in renting flats here. Even those who have been living here for years are shifting to other areas because of the water crisis. We can survive without taking food for a day but how is it possible to live without water?" said Fatema Jaman, a housewife residing of Ashkona which had gone four
days without any supply.
"We are already facing frequent power outages and the inadequate and irregular water supply has only added to our woes," said Abdur Rashid, a shopkeeper.
Some house owners are buying water supplied by Wasa lorries but that is an expensive option and difficult to sustain.
"We have to buy around 7,000 litres of water daily for the entire building," said Rabiul Islam, landlord of a four-storied building at Jobbor-Mizan road.
The queues at common tube-wells of the area are getting longer by the week. The dirt in water is visible with the naked eye and that has exposed residents and especially children to serious health hazard.
Wasa officials meanwhile claimed that although they were suffering, not a single resident was willing to sacrifice land to set up a water pump.
"The crisis is not like what it was two months ago. A piece of land has been allocated for setting up a deep tube-well. Besides, the work for setting up a water pump has already started. At present only residents of Ashkona were experiencing water crisis," said Md. Mosfiqur Rahman, executive engineer of Wasa's Modes Zone-5.