Severe water crisis grips Rajshahi's Bagha as most tube wells dry up

A severe water shortage has hit Bagha upazila in Rajshahi district amid an intense heatwave, leaving most tube wells dry and forcing residents to struggle for access to safe drinking water.

Residents and local sources say the crisis has been caused by prolonged drought-like conditions, declining groundwater levels due to excessive extraction and the drying up of nearby rivers, canals and ponds. They also noted that a river that once flowed beside the upazila has shifted approximately 10-15 kilometres south in recent years, further worsening the groundwater situation. As a result, many tube wells have stopped producing water, leaving both humans and animals struggling in the extreme heat. Households with deep tube wells or motorised water pumps are now seeing long queues of people arriving to collect water.

Locals report that collecting water has become a daily struggle, with many residents, including women and children, travelling long distances from early morning and waiting in queues for hours. In many cases, repeated pumping yields no water, forcing some households to lower tube well bodies deeper into the ground in search of water. The crisis has hit daily wage earners and labourers particularly hard, as water scarcity is 
affecting their ability to work in the extreme heat.Health risks such as dehydration and waterborne illnesses are also increasing. 

A farmer Fazlul Haque said that the heat is making it impossible to work properly and that even drinking water is difficult to obtain, while irrigation shortages are threatening paddy fields ahead of harvest.

Locals attribute the worsening situation to a combination of prolonged lack of rainfall and excessive groundwater extraction, which has caused the water table to drop significantly. Community members have warned that without immediate intervention, the situation could deteriorate further.
Meanwhile, residents expressed frustration over the delayed activation of a piped water supply system in Bagha municipality.

, which was initiated years ago but has yet to become operational. 

Bagha and Arani are the two municipalities in the upazila, with Bagha being a first-class municipality.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and current municipal administrator Shammie Akhtar said that work on the municipal water supply line is ongoing and expressed hope that it would be launched soon.