Friday, April 26, 2024 at 00:00
Khulna
Increase in salinity, drop in groundwater level
Samchuzzaman Shaheen, Khulna
City dwellers suffering from water shortage. As water does not rise in tube wells, water has to be collected from far away. The photo is from the city Khalishpur -Bangladesh Daily
During the dry season, there is an acute shortage of fresh water in the southwestern part of the country including Khulna. In many places even deep tube wells are not getting water as the water level has gone down due to lack of rainfall. Safe sources of drinking water have dried up due to lack of conservation.
Analysts say that due to climate change, salinity increases, the water level drops, and the situation is becoming dire.
The survey of Khulna Wasa showed that the groundwater level in 14 wards of the city has dropped from 1.98 to 4.04 meters due to continuous extraction. As a result, water does not rise in tubewells in various areas including Sheikhpara, Gobarchaka, Bara Mirzapur, Chhota Mirzapur, Baitipara, Tutpara during the dry season. Water is rising only in submersible pumps with deep tube wells. However, ordinary people are not able to install submersible because it is expensive. Similarly, acute shortage of drinking water has occurred in Koira, Dakop, Paikgacha upazilas of the district. Many people have to bring water from a distance of 3-4 km. Shamim Arefin, executive director of AOCED, a water research institute, said, “Ponds and ponds are being filled everywhere.” Unplanned extraction has caused the groundwater level to drop. Officially, 22 per cent of people in Khulna, 15 per cent of Bagerhat and 13 per cent of Satkhira are talking about food and water shortage, but in reality this picture is even worse. Fresh water reservoirs are being destroyed due to increase in salinity.’
Meanwhile, vegetable cultivation is also being disrupted due to excessive drought and salinity in the current season. Trees are drying up and dying without getting enough water. Amarendranath Biswas, chief scientific officer of the Salinity Management and Research Center, Khulna, said that the survey found an abnormal salinity of 42.9 DS meters in the Koira canal water last April. Generally, if it is above 5, the water cannot be used for irrigation. 50 in sea water. Similarly, salinity levels in rivers and canals have increased at various places.
Khulna Wasa Managing Director Engineer Md. Abdullah said, “20 percent of the city’s families have not yet accepted the Wasa connection. They draw and use underground water with tube wells and pumps. This increases the pressure on the underground water.
