GiZ

Contact: 09666-701000

German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Since there is a gap between the demand and supply of freshwater, people often have no other choice but to use and drink unsafe water or spend their limited financial resources for transporting and purchasing clean drinking water. By using the unsafe pond water people frequently suffer from diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, typhoid, worm infections and other waterborne diseases. On the other hand by drinking saline water they suffer from other diseases like hypertension, heart diseases, skin diseases, common cold etc. To mitigate these problems, the Bangladesh Government as well as some of the development sector organizations have come forward to help by installing deep underground water pumps in order to provide the inhabitants with fresh water. However, all of the projects undertaken to ensure safe drinking water are subsidized either by the NGOs or the Government fully or partially. GIZ Bangladesh is one of such organizations that has helped by installing deep underground and surface water pumps that are powered by renewable energy i.e., solar power under its Sustainable Energy for Development (SED) programme to ensuring safe drinking water. Since 2010 SED has supported the construction of 123 solar-powered water pumping facilities in South-west region, in Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Barguna and Pirojpur districts of the country.

https://reeep.sreda.gov.bd/projects/2015-11-05-A-Tale-Of-Water-%20And-Sun_Business-Model%20_LightCastle.pdf

Initial investment: BDT 1.7 million. Pricing: BDT 20-30 per HH/month

Ready

All the infrastructural and architectural designs have been approved by GIZ and excavation and installation works have been completed by the local vendors. After installation, GIZ appointed caretakers for respective pumps for maintenance and repair activities. These caretakers, other than maintaining the pump facilities, also collect the monthly subscription fees from the users/beneficiaries of the pumps and maintain records and accounts in a book. GIZ also formed a Project Management Committee (PMC) where there are representatives from the Govt. i.e., the UP Chairman as well as from the local communities i.e., users, local honorable personalities. PMC oversees the management of the pump and the distribution pipeline and helps caretaker resolve any disputes over fees collection.   At present, from the 123 solar-powered water pumping facilities, 106 systems have been handed over to the community for operations. In most of these intervention areas, community is voluntarily managing the plant, with the support of UP representatives. T