For centuries’ together largely muddy waters from hill streams, springs, and falls served as primary sources of water for inhabitants of the rugged south-western Chatttogram Hill Tracts (CHT) region.
Women and children were required to exhaust a large part of a day to collect waters from these sources and carry home the extremely essential utility in their traditional utensils navigating long steep, rocky, and slippery trails.
Fifty villages of Bandarban, one of the three hills districts now appeared to be the model how the people could have easy access to safe waters.
This was made possible under an initiative “close to home” under the oversight of State Minister for CHT Affairs Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin.
Department of Public Health Engineering (PHED) has been entrusted with the task of spearheading the innovative technology-based campaign, expecting to be spread throughout the CHT, one-tenth of the country’s landmass.
“The primary objective of this government is to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of this country, from the mountains to the plains. We are tirelessly working to achieve this goal under honorable Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership,” Helal Uddin told BSS.
He said as part of the goal his ministry focused on the issue of clean and safe water for the inhabitants of the rugged hills and residents of 50 villages in Bandarban appeared as first recipients of the initiative.
“Works are underway to make clean water within the reach of people at all villages in the three hill districts in future, InshaAllah, the state minister said.
Helal Uddin said he personally visit various locations in the Chattogram Hill Tracts weekly to engage with the community to ascertain their genuine developmental needs.
“Future development efforts in the Chattogram Hill Tracts will be guided by the requirements of the local populace. The cooperation of everyone is crucial for this endeavour,” he said.
The junior minister added his ministry was committed to execute projects which were directly relevant to the lives of the people and are essential for their well-being.
PHED executive engineer Anupam Dey said they actually realigned the existing gravity flow system of natural water sources to make available the water to people’s home in remote areas of the district at a cost of Tk 45 crore as a componnant of the campaign.
But the PHED also developed ring wells, rainwater harvesting systems, deep tube wells, and a community-based water supply system to make safe water available to the residents 50 villages.
“A reliable water supply system has already been established in the villages where residents are now able to collect potable water from taps installed adjacent to their homes,” PHED deputy assistant engineer Saidul Islam said supplementing his superior official.
He added the water supply system under the ‘Drinkable Water Supply and Sanitation Project through Various Technologies’ for 2025-26 fiscal significantly changed the scenario, easing the hardship of the people.
Several beneficiaries acknowledged with gratitude the changed scenario.
“Previously, we had to descend the hills to fetch water from the stream which was far away from our homestead and again ascend the hills carrying heavy water filled pots,” Maching Marma, resident of a village in Bandarban Sadar upazila.
The government now, he said, installed a water tap near his home from where his family and people in the neighbourhood collect water.
“All the women in the neighborhood come to collect water from this tap,” Maching Marma added.
Resident of a nearby village Ukhayi May Marma repeated almost the identical view adding “everyone is extremely pleased with this development”.
PHED officials said they were working also for improved sanitation systems initially by installing 667 household toilets, renovate another 867 alongside building or reconstructing 13 public toilets in Bandarban municipal area, with a total investment of TK 15 crore.
They said the department sought allocations to repair 12 gravity flow systems (GFS) in the district at a cost of 45 crore taka, construct 10 new GFSs, the set up 583 ring wells, develop 140 rainwater harvesting systems, install 50 deep tubewells and 50 production tubewells to ensure a neighborhood-based water supply.
