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Press Releases

August 5, 2019

Bangladesh: The largest water supply facilities completed at a camp for displaced people from Myanmar

photoInauguration ceremony

On July 31, 2019, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held an inauguration ceremony to celebrate the completion of construction on the water supply facilities it has supported at a camp for displaced people from Myanmar in Bangladesh (Kutupalong Camp). This is the largest water supply facility at the camp, and it can supply safe water to nearly 30,000 people.

During this construction, through a Grant Aid Project for Ground Water Investigation and Development of Deep Ground Water Source in Urban and Rural Areas, JICA excavated a well that was nearly 400 meters deep, and water supply facilities installed later by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

photoChildren using the water supply facilities for the first time

The water supply network, which extends for 9,900 meters in length, is equipped with 358 taps. Solar panels are used to provide power for pumping up groundwater, resulting in an environmentally-friendly way to generate power that has never before been attempted in this kind of endeavor.

photoMr. Helal Uddin Ahmed being interviewed by local media after the ceremony

Mr. Helal Uddin Ahmed, Secretary, Local Government Division (LGD), Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives attended the inauguration ceremony as a representative of the government of Bangladesh, commenting that the water supply facility now provides a sustainable water supply to the area, and expressed his gratitude to JICA and IOM, while some of the expected users of the water supply facilities in the camp expressed their deepest appreciation and delight, and promised their proper usage of the facility. Support of this project is expected to promote health and hygiene among the people living in the camp, and make their lives more convenient. Minister Takeshi Ito assigned to Bangladesh said the facility could contribute to the improvement of the quality of the displaced people’s lives.

In addition to the support from the grant aid project, JICA has been implementing the Technical Cooperation Project for Improvement of Comprehensive Management Capacity of Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) on Water Supply since 2014 in order to improve the quality of water supply services in rural and urban areas. The trained DPHE officials and equipment provided through these projects have helped with the current water supply project at the camp. Water quality management at the completed water supply facilities will be handled jointly by the IOM and DPHE.

JICA will continue to support the development of a safe water supply system not only at the camp, but also in Bangladesh in order to achieve SDGs Goal 6, clean water and sanitation for all.

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