Update from the Field | Kumira, Bangladesh

Meet the indigenous Tripura people
Water1st staff recently traveled to Kumira, Bangladesh with a group of supporters and students from our Global Fellows program. The Kumira community is a settlement of displaced Tripura people. As the urban population grew, this ethnic minority was forced to migrate to extremely undesirable circumstances without access to water, electricity, or toilets.

During our visit, we walked alongside the women and girls of the community to experience their daily water-fetching routine. We’ve been visiting our project communities for decades, and have never encountered women carrying such great volumes of water. Each woman had as many as five aluminum pots stacked on her head, containing up to 70 pounds of water. Balancing the weight while navigating the steep, slippery terrain seemed an astonishing feat.

The community members are ecstatic about their project and the endless possibilities that access to clean water will bring them. By this time next year, we will return to see water flowing in their homes. We invite you to travel with us to see the Kumira project firsthand.

From the field: A Global Fellow perspective I met a beautiful 8-year-old girl named Munee with a radiant smile. She had a huge impact on my view of the work of Water1st; their work is about humanity and compassion for everyone, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender, and working towards a better future. Read more of Sophia’s story.

Learn more about the Kumira project
The Kumira community currently consists of 96 marginalized Tripura households. Our goal is to reach every household with an integrated water supply and sanitation project that will restore the health and dignity of the entire community.

Water1st is working with our local Bangladeshi colleagues, DSK, to support the Kumira project. We have been working with and funding DSK for 14 years. Together, we have completed 3,000 water systems serving over 160,000 people.

DSK proposed the Kumira project as a way to impact an ethnic minority population that has been displaced and overlooked. This community currently relies on contaminated surface water for drinking, cooking, and bathing and proper toilets are not available.

Project specifics A clean water source will be secured for the community, either a drilled well or capped spring. The quality of the water will be tested at a certified lab for arsenic, coliform bacteria, and nitrates. Once it is determined that the water is safe, a network of pipes is installed to pump the water to a storage tank. From the storage tank, the water will be piped to all households and community gathering places. Each household will have a water meter and will pay a small monthly water bill based on volume of use. Water fees will cover long term operation and system maintenance costs. A toilet will be built for each family and at future community gathering places (schools, temples, clinics, etc). Toilets will have a porcelain bowl, and a water seal to isolate waste from the living environment. DSK will offer the community three possible methods of managing wastewater: a small-scale sewer system, individual septic pits, or pits that use biological agents (such as worms) to treat waste. Kumira community members will receive training in operation and maintenance of their water and sanitation system. Their new system, along with hygiene education, will provide health and economic benefits to the Tripura people that will enable their families to prosper. Kumira is located 20 miles north of Chittagong. Employment opportunities and services decrease as distance from the city increases.

Update from the Field | Kumira, Bangladesh

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