For residents of Gaibandha’s Gazaria and Kanchapara unions, the Bindu water treatment Plant , installed by the Strengthening Women's Ability for Productive New Opportunities (SWAPNO) project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with support from the Swedish government is the only safe drinking water source for thousands of families, stranded by the recent flash floods in the North.

The flash flood has marooned over 1800 houses and destroyed 450 tubewells resulting in a severe scarcity of safe drinking water. The river basin areas of Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchari, and Saghata Upazilas are inundated as the Brahmaputra River level rose.

To minimize the crisis, the Women Cooperative formed by SWAPNO, initiated a supply of safe drinking water from its Bindu Water Treatment Plant to the surrounding communities affected by the flood.

The cooperative has hired a boat to transport water in jars and is also using a battery-driven van to distribute water in the mainland.

People can get a jar of 20 litres of safe drinking water at BDT 5 (approximately 0.6 SEK) only, which supports them in addressing the water crisis induced by the current flood.

Approximately 200 households have benefited from this initiative. SWAPNO beneficiaries also have plans to extend their support to other unions by collaborating with the local administration.

Not only during floods, even in normal times the residents also suffer from high arsenic and iron contamination in their water, even when drawn from depths of 35 to 50 feet below ground level.

The plant was set up on 16 February of this year when SWAPNO project of UNDP came forward to establish a cooperative with its beneficiaries and facilitated the start of the water enterprise in Gazaria union, Fulchari upazila (sub-district) at Gaibandha district.

The cooperative used their savings along with the co-finance and support from local government and SWAPNO project, to launch the water enterprise where they treat water and sell at an affordable price in and around the community.

The Plant is situated at the “Ashrayan Project Site” which is home to 200 homeless and climate-displaced families.

In addition to technical support, UNDP and the government of Sweden financed the installation of a solar power system to operate the entire water treatment and cut down carbon emissions.

SWAPNO’s “Water Treatment Plant” initiative proved to be a sustainable source of mitigating drinking water problems during emergencies and normal times.

For both the cooperative members and the local communities, it is a mutually beneficial situation as it promotes women’s empowerment and saves the lives of the poor as well.