Present Status of Different Water Sources and Potentiality of Rainwater as Potable Water: a Study on Some Selected Areas in Bangladesh

Abstract

Present situation of different sources of water used for domestic purposes in the rural areas were studied where scarcity of potable water exists during the dry spell. Primary data were collected from five selected villages. The results of the study showed approximately 52 percent of ponds hold water round the year and most of them were polluted from different sources. Hand tube-well water was the main source of domestic water supply in the study areas, but most of the wells were not productive during the dry spell of the year. As an alternative source rainwater seems to be the most viable solution for providing quality drinking water to rural areas in the developing countries. This study significantly indicated_ that about 45 percent people of the study areas were interested on rainwater. Galvanized steel made storage tank of capacity 2.5m³ for supplying only the drinking water during dry period of the year was used to observe the variation of stored rainwater quality. The stored rainwater was found to be safe in terms of pH and bacterial quality during six months of storage period.