Before dawn broke on May 6, Sarathi Mro, a 20-year-old housewife from Mirzapara village, located about three kilometers below Chimbuk Hill in Bandarban, left her home carrying a water pitcher on her shoulder.
Like dozens of other residents, she walks along steep mountain paths every day to collect drinking water from a stream located south of her village.
Following Sarathi across two hills and nearly two kilometers of rugged terrain reveals a long queue beside a small mountain stream. Some people wait for cooking water, others for drinking water, while some use the stream for bathing.
Residents often wait for hours to fill a single pitcher.
Like the 50 families living in Mirzapara, Sarathi’s family depends entirely on the stream for its daily water needs.
Her eight-member family, including four children and her parents, requires about 40 liters of water per day. Sarathi collects drinking water in the morning, while her husband, Rengkur Mro, makes another trip at noon.
The journey to and from the stream takes about two hours each way over steep and uneven hill paths, forcing the family to spend nearly four hours a day collecting water.
Because of the time spent fetching water, Sarathi cannot take her children to school regularly. Her husband also loses about three working hours each day, reducing the family's income.
“Our day begins with thoughts of water. This concern is daily. But when the dry season arrives, especially during the Bengali months of Falgun and Chaitra, the suffering reaches its peak,” Sarathi told Dhaka Tribune.
“Although we are desperate for water, the nearby resorts have no water problems. The resorts use submersible pumps to extract huge amounts of water, causing groundwater levels to fall and nearby streams and springs to dry up. Especially in April and May, there is no water. During this period, we have to run from hill to hill from 4am searching for water,” she added.
Rengkur Mro said the community experiences water shortages throughout the year except during the monsoon season.
“Yet there are many resorts beside Chimbuk Hill. Go and see — they have no problem. Water overflows from swimming pools while we do not even have drinking water,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
<Widespread water shortages>
The crisis extends beyond Mirzapara.
Baganpara, Bhaitra Para, Menduipara, Garjanpara and Babupara in the Chimbuk area are also experiencing severe shortages of safe drinking water. Several thousand people live in these settlements.
Investigations found similar shortages in Lama, Alikadam, Naikhongchhari, Rowangchhari, Ruma and Thanchi upazilas of Bandarban.
Although tube wells and hand pumps have been installed in many villages, many become ineffective during the dry season. As a result, hill communities remain largely dependent on natural water sources.
Paring Mro, headman of South Hangar Mouza No. 309 in Chimbuk, Tangkabati, Bandarban, described the situation as desperate.
“There is a cry for water here. Survival itself is difficult. People begin searching for water from midnight. After walking two to three kilometers, one can get only a pitcher of water,” he said.
<Situation in Rangamati and Khagrachhari>
Investigations found that about 34% of residents in Rangamati still lack access to safe drinking water.
The situation has been attributed to declining groundwater levels caused by reduced water levels in Kaptai Lake and insufficient rainfall.
In neighboring Khagrachhari, nearly 40% of residents experience water shortages during the dry season, with people living in higher elevations facing the greatest hardships.
Sumanta Chakma, a resident of Maidang Union under Jurachhari upazila in Rangamati, said drinking water shortages occur during both dry and rainy seasons.
“During the rainy season, water in wells becomes dirty and unusable, leaving rainwater as our only option,” he said.
Kusumlata Tripura, 40, of Matiranga in Khagrachhari, said her day starts at 4am.
Accompanied by her two daughters, she walks at least three kilometers from Alutila Hill every morning to collect water.
She makes the trip three times a day to provide water for her seven-member family.
<Water inequality in the hills>
Investigations found stark disparities in water access across the hill districts.
While Mro families struggle to secure drinking water, swimming pools at tourist resorts remain full.
More than 100 large and small resorts operate across Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.
Investigators found abundant water supplies at QB Holiday Homes & Cafe, Sairu Hill and Ecosense in Bandarban.
Submersible pumps and deep-water extraction systems have been installed at the foot of surrounding hills, ensuring that resort tanks and swimming pools remain adequately supplied.
Several resorts have installed storage tanks capable of holding between 3,000 and 5,000 liters of water for daily operations and drinking purposes after filtration.
The investigation found that while a typical hill family uses around 40 liters of water per day, a resort may use about 400 liters daily — ten times more.
Additional resorts, including Ecosense, Mountain Springs, Nilachal Nilambori and Labah Tong Hill, were also found to have sufficient water supplies with no reported shortages.
Tonoya Mro Raj, former president of the Bangladesh Mro Students Association (BMSA) and a permanent resident of Bandarban, said more than 50 resorts operate in the district.
“Because there is no policy regulating water extraction, resorts are installing deep pumps and extracting water as they wish. As a result, hill families are being deprived of water,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
She also alleged that some resorts have fenced off nearby streams, springs and canals.
“The resorts have occupied not only their designated land but also surrounding streams and water bodies, preventing hill residents from accessing water,” she said.
Ruai Mro, a teacher at Bhaitra Pre-Primary School in Chimbuk, said students at the school also face drinking water shortages.
“We have arranged to filter stream water before the children drink it,” he said.
Several resort owners said reliable water supplies are necessary to attract tourists.
They said they rely not only on groundwater extraction but also on stored rainwater, lake water and water collected from streams and springs.
Md Zakir, owner of Ecosense Resort, said his resort primarily relies on water from a nearby lake.
“I do not need to pump groundwater. I collect water from a nearby lake and store it in tanks. I also collect rainwater and water from streams and springs. However, almost all resorts here use submersible pumps and extract thousands of liters of water every day. Because there is no policy, the government cannot hold anyone accountable,” he said.
Dr Alok Pal, a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Chittagong who researches water scarcity and public health in the hill tracts, said unplanned tourism has intensified the crisis.
“Families in the hills cannot get water, while resorts receive adequate supplies. Unplanned tourism has worsened the situation. The government should pay attention,” he said.
<Health, social and economic costs>
At Bandarban District Sadar Hospital on May 7, Ratan Mro, a resident of the Chimbuk area, was receiving saline treatment while lying on a sheet spread across the floor.
He had been suffering from diarrhea for more than 15 days and had spent 10 days in the hospital.
Hospital officials said more than 50 patients were receiving treatment there for waterborne diseases.
Ratan said he had suffered from diarrhea before, but this episode was more severe. His inability to work has left his family struggling to survive.
His wife, Mouri, estimated the family had lost about Tk10,000 in income during the illness.
“If we calculate losses for 50 patients, it reaches Tk500,000. Across Bandarban, hill communities may be losing several crores of taka every year because of these illnesses,” she said.
Doctors said shortages of safe drinking water during the dry season increase the incidence of waterborne diseases in Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.
Diarrhea is the most common illness, while jaundice, typhoid and skin diseases are also prevalent. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.
According to data from civil surgeons in the three districts, 7,191 people in Bandarban were affected by waterborne diseases between 2025 and April 2026, and one woman died in May.
Khagrachhari recorded 40,141 cases and one death, while Rangamati recorded 6,054 cases.
Women and children accounted for a large share of cases involving diarrhea, pneumonia and jaundice.
Bandarban Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Shahin Hossain Chowdhury said many hill residents consume contaminated water collected from ponds and streams.
“Water sources in the hills are being polluted in various ways. As a result, waterborne diseases are increasing. Hill communities are also suffering significant financial losses,” he said.
<Government response>
Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Md Saniul Ferdous said there is currently no legal framework governing the use of submersible pumps in the district.
“There is no requirement for approval from the deputy commissioner’s office and no opportunity for enforcement action. Resorts are using submersible pumps and pipelines to extract water from streams and springs. Hill families generally cannot afford such systems,” he said.
Molla Mizanur Rahman, additional director general (administration) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, said the government has no separate policy addressing water scarcity in the hill tracts.
He said a project aimed at addressing water shortages in Bandarban is underway and includes the installation of deep tube wells in remote hill areas.
<Policies and projects>
There is currently no separate policy governing water use, conservation or management in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.
According to the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), a project titled “Provision of Safe Water Supply and Sanitation Through Various Technologies in the Upazilas of Bandarban District (January 2024–June 2026)” has achieved only 7% success in addressing water shortages.
The project has a budget of Tk451.62 million and is scheduled to conclude in June this year.
However, investigations found that some tube wells installed under the project also run dry during the dry season.
According to the 2022 national census, the combined population of Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban is 1,842,815.
DPHE data show water supply coverage of 63% in Rangamati, 61% in Bandarban and 78% in Khagrachhari.
However, hill-based organizations estimate that only 50% to 60% of residents in the three districts are covered by water supply services.
Anupat De, executive engineer of DPHE in Bandarban, said key strategies for water management in the hill tracts include conserving natural water sources, maintaining the natural flow of streams and springs, and preventing deforestation around water sources.
<Findings from research and experts>
Government data indicates that nearly 98% of Bangladesh’s population has access to safe drinking water.
However, experts say the reality in remote hill regions differs significantly.
A survey conducted by Kapeng Foundation examined the socioeconomic conditions of 25 indigenous communities living in both hill and plain regions.
According to findings from the survey titled Human Rights and Socio-Economic Development of Indigenous Peoples of Bangladesh, conducted between 2017 and 2019, 52% of indigenous people lack access to safe drinking water.
Hasin Jahan, country director of WaterAid Bangladesh, said the expansion of rubber plantations, teak plantations and tobacco cultivation has contributed to falling groundwater levels in the hill tracts.
She also blamed widespread use of submersible pumps by resorts.
“The water table is falling and the crisis is becoming more severe. Resorts use clean water and discharge wastewater. As a result, streams and springs become polluted and hill residents suffer from various diseases,” she said.
Jahan added that many residents spend five to six working hours every day searching for water, reducing productivity and affecting both jum cultivation and the broader hill economy.