Local NGO doing life-saving job in Rangamati

Change in lifestyle in CHT.. Hill women taking pure water from tap at their doorstep at Ugiachhora. Photo: Star

This has not only saved them from diseases but also changed their lifestyle.

Jaundice, diarrhoea and dysentery are endemic as the hill people are compelled to use water of streams and canals, contaminated with feces of animals and germs spread by mosquitoes.

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About one lakh people approached doctors and health workers for treatment of these diseases, according to six months' statistics from January to June, available from government and non-government health service units.

But those who can reach doctors or health workers are a fraction of the number attacked with the diseases. Lack of communication facilities, illiteracy and awareness among the people are the hindrances, government and non-government health workers said.

The local NGO GreenHill has innovated a system to supply safe water to households through pipeline in Ugaichhori and Hazachhori upazilas in Rangamati Sadar.

Women there no longer have to walk miles and cross hills for a pitcher of water or to have a bath. It was risky and time-consuming.

GreenHill now collects water, stores it in concrete-built tanks, treats it and supplies at a nominal price.

Every household happily contributes only Tk 15 a month for the supplied water. The money is collected through a 'village development committee' at every village under the project area.

It supplies the water through Gravity Flow System (GFS) under a project titled "Hygiene and Sanitation Promotion".

"We have so far covered 11009 people of 1920 households in 59 villages under the project" its Executive Director Mong Thoai Ching told this correspondent during a recent visit to the areas. "We will cover 500 village", he said.

The villagers and also being motivated not to use contaminated water. Underprivileged hill people are now aware of the dangers from using contaminated water, he said.

Modhulata Chakma, an indigenous women in Ugiachhori told this correspondent she now gets enough time to look after her children as she does not have to spend much time for collecting water from distant places.

This was not possible a year back, she said.

During the visit to Kolabunia village in Borkol, the villagers told this correspondent that seven people including two women died from jaundice there in last three months where only 200 families live. All three-tube wells in the village are out of order for long, they said.

Three children died from diarrhea in seven days in nearby Dumoichhachhora, village Manik Chakma, a resident, said.

Many deaths remain unreported, they said.

A woman health worker working with BRAC, an NGO, said as per official records over 300 people die annually from water borne diseases only in Khagrachhori district. The unofficial figure is much more, she said.

A total of 11552 diarrhea patients were treated at BRAC health centers in last ten months till July this year, according to a statistics available from BRAC regional office in Rangamati.

Another 24275 diarrhoea and jaundice patients were treated at government hospitals, statistics available from the civil surgeon's office showed.

Sources there said the number of deaths is anybody's guess.

"There is no scope to refute the facts",

Deputy Vivil Surgeon AZM Mezbahuddin said.

A significant number of patients remain untreated as they can not reach health centres from remote inaccessible areas and are poor, sources there said.