Title: A Deep Tube-Well was Installed Successfully in Noaltala Village under Batiaghata Upazila Through EPR Project.
Project: Excluded People’s Rights in Bangladesh (EPR)
Location: Noaltala Village, Vandarkot, Batiaghata, Khulna.
Story Details
Vandarkot is a densely populated and one of the large unions in Batiaghata Upazila of Khulna district. The river with strong current Kazibachha flows on the west-side of this union. To the east is Bagerhat district, to the southeast is part of Amirpur Union and Baliadanga Union in the southwest corner. Almost 80% of the people of Vandarkot Union depend on agriculture. Some are fishermen, some are employees, some are other professionals.
The rapid river Nalua, which once had tributaries, which used to flow through the center of the Union, is now completely dead. Local homeless families have somehow been living building houses along the dead river. The families that have been living along the Nalua River are mentioned above in this story. One of the long-standing problems of those Poor & Distressed families was safe drinking water which they have not been able to solve for a long time. They did not know where to ask for a tube well. They had no choice but to install the tube-wells themselves, which is rather impossible for them because all the families living there are poor. Most of them used to work in other people's fields. Their condition is so miserable that, if they do not go to work one day, their stove will not burn, and they must starve with their family. For a community like that the dream of installing a tube well at a cost of Tk 40,000-50,000/ was unrealistic. However, the residents of the area managed to install one or two shallow tube wells with great difficulty but unfortunately, the water was not suitable for drinking. Ultimately, they used to carry drinking water from far away. It is evident that many times they used to get sick by drinking water from that shallow tube-well because it would have taken them both time and effort to fetch safe drinking water from afar.
Finally, in 2019, the KMSS Excluded People’s Rights (EPR) project started activities in that area. One by One through courtyard meetings the general public were made aware of what they really owe to the local government, besides they were given ideas of where they will have to go for a need and where to make a claim to get things from the government. Then the people of the area came together and demanded the local government to provide safe water in their area. The movement was led by a CSG committee member Md. Russell Sheikh. Mrs. Nasima Begum, a CSG representative, submitted a petition to the Union Parishad on behalf of the locals stating the demand for tube-wells. After that, some time went by, but their tube-wells were not provided. CSG members often visited the union council to find out whether the tube-wells were sanctioned or not. Finally, the CSG members were called from Vanderkot Union Parishad in late 2020, and the chairman handed over a form to them to be filled up and said a deep tube-well will be installed at Charpara in Noaltala village. Within a few days after submitting the form a deep tube-well was installed. This puts an end to the long-standing water crisis of the families of the area and fulfilled the dreams of some helpless destitute people. They no longer have to spend time collecting water from far away. As a result of this, the faith of the people of the area has become stronger. Now they think that if they can put their needs in the right place, the solution will come sooner or later.