Around 13,230 students and 624 teachers in 228 primary schools out of 466 in five upazilas of the district are suffering due to shortage of drinkable water because of lack of tub-wells.
According to the district education officer sources, severe water crisis prevails in 201 schools as existing tube wells at these schools have been out of order for long while 21 schools are without any tube wells.
Department of Public Health and Engineering office Rajbari sources said the students, teachers and staffs of the schools would not get pure drinking water in upcoming dry season as the tub wells were out of order.
“We have sent a list of the schools to the district public health office recently,” said an official.
“We also requested the executive engineer to resolve the crisis,” the official said.
Student of B-Koya and Narua Government Primary Schools under Pangsha upazila said that they often had to risk their lives as they crossed the main roads in search of a tube well for potable water.
Boalia Govt Primary School headmaster Akbor Hossain said: “The school toilets are almost unusable due to lack of water and we suffer most during school hours.” Charpaturia Govt Primary School headmaster Shakhwata Hossain said: “The students and teachers both are equally suffering due to water crisis.”
The headmaster of Laribari Govt Primary School said that water crisis was a long standing problem in the primary schools.
“I have informed the authorities concerned but they seem indifferent to the matter,” he said.
“Sometimes the children have to drink unhygienic surface water from nearby sources for which they often suffer from water born diseases,” said Jamalpur Government Primary School headmaster.
When contacted, District Primary Education Officer (DPEO) Mohammad Fazlul Haque said:”We are preparing to make a list on non-operative tube-wells and latrines.”