For 110 Families in Mithapukur, Water Now Flows Closer to Home

Story by Lipy Mary Rodrigues
Communication Specialist – Impact Storytelling, World Vision Bangladesh

At first glance, Singa's village looks like a peaceful painting. A clear pond sits at the centre of the village where white ducks glide across the water. Old trees stretch their branches over small brick houses with tin roofs, and their reflections ripple softly in the pond. It feels calm and beautiful, almost untouched by hardship.

But for the 110 families of the indigenous Oraon community living here, life was once defined by a daily struggle for something basic: safe drinking water.

Located in Mithapukur Upazila of northern Bangladesh, Binodpur became home to these families in 2003 when the government arranged housing for landless households. Yet water remained scarce. With only one well available, many residents had to walk for 30 minutes to an hour just to collect a pitcher of water.

For 48-year-old Singa Karketa, those memories remain vivid. “One afternoon in the heat of Chaitra, I returned from the fields completely thirsty,” he recalls. “When I asked for water, the pitcher was empty. My wife went to a nearby well, but the owner stopped her. She had to walk nearly half a kilometre to another village.”

Such experiences were common. When the water level dropped, the crisis deepened. Other times, they were forced to wait at the end of long lines. During summer, the situation became worse, pushing many families to drink pond water—water also used for bathing, washing clothes, and feeding livestock. Illness caused by contaminated water became frequent. The community even witnessed deaths caused by water-borne diseases.

Today, clean water flows much closer to home.

Gradually, the community people and local leaders began sharing their concerns with When World Vision Bangladesh started working in their area, the village leaders shared their struggles and the long years of suffering for safe water. In 2021, a deep tube well was installed in the village along with six water collection points and 25 taps, providing reliable access to clean water for all.

An 11-member village committee now manages the system, collecting funds for electricity and maintenance. For the families of Binodpur, safe water is no longer only about quenching thirst; it represents community ownership and a healthier future.