Civic rally in Morelganj demanding solutions to coastal drinking water crisis
Morelganj (Bagerhat) Correspondent
A civic rally and procession were held in Morelganj on Monday demanding an urgent resolution to the drinking water crisis in the coastal upazilas of Morelganj and Sharankhola.
The programme began at 10:00 am at the Morelganj Upazila Parishad premises, with a large number of local residents, including women suffering from the water crisis, participating in the event.
The programme was organised with overall support from the Srijon Project of Jagorani Chakra Foundation. Its main objective was to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the shortage of safe drinking water in the coastal region and demand immediate and effective measures to address the crisis.
Speakers at the rally said that groundwater in large areas of Morelganj and Sharankhola has become unsuitable for consumption because of excessive salinity.
The programme was attended by Bagerhat-4 seat MP Principal Md. Abdul Alim, Morelganj Upazila Executive Officer Md. Habibullah, officials of the local administration, members of the youth community, teachers, community leaders, NGO representatives and local residents.
Abdul Mannan, Project Manager of the Srijon Project of Jagorani Chakra Foundation, said that such initiatives would continue in the future to ensure the coastal people's right to safe drinking water.
The programme was moderated by Md. Zillur Rahman, Unit Manager of the Srijon Project of Jagorani Chakra Foundation.
Following the procession, a dialogue between civil society representatives and local authorities was held at the conference room of the Morelganj Upazila Parishad under the “Srijon Project: Strengthening the Resilience and Adaptive Capacity of Climate-Vulnerable Communities in Bangladesh and Empowering Civil Society.”
Principal Md. Abdul Alim, MP for the Bagerhat-4 constituency, attended the dialogue as the chief guest and answered questions from citizens. Morelganj UNO Md. Habibullah chaired the session
The programme was implemented by Jagorani Chakra Foundation, with support from BMZ and NESS Bangladesh.
