'1,92,945 tube wells to be installed to remove arsenic risk'

FT ONLINE

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday said the government has undertaken a plan to install 1,92,945 tube wells across the country to remove arsenic risk of water.

"Under the scheme of removing arsenic risk of water supply, setting up of 1,92,945 tube wells across the country is under process," he said in reply to a written query from treasury bench member M Abdul Latif (Chittagong-11).

The minister said the present government has made various arrangements to supply arsenic-free safe water across the country.

The arrangements, he said, include installation of deep tube wells, rural piped water supply system, construction of water treatment plants, digging and re-excavation of ponds.

Mosharraf said 1,21,070 tube wells have been set up under a special rural water supply project, while 29,496 tube wells have been installed across the country under another scheme.

The minister said 12,500 tube wells have been installed under the Bangladesh Water Supply Programme Project, while installation of 1,37,525 tube wells is under process under a priority rural water supply project.

He said 63,408 tube wells will be set up and 343 ponds will be excavated and re-excavated under the rural water supply project.

The minister said four projects titled the 37 district towns water supply project, the 40 pourasabhas and growth centres water supply and environmental sanitation project (phase-2), the pourasabhas situated upazila headquarters and growth centres water supply and environmental project (phase 2) and the 23 poursabhas water supply and sanitation project (GOB-IDB) are being implemented.

Through the schemes, he said, 387 production tube wells, 2,287-km pipe lines, 71 water treatment plants and 4,427 hand-run deep tube wells will be set up to execute safe water supply and sanitation system in municipality areas.