TUKERGRAM, March 22: Water-related woes are not new for the 32 households of Tukergram, a hamlet in Assam’s Cachar district, as they endure contaminated floodwaters for five to seven months each year.
After years of hardship, a mobile water treatment unit has become a lifeline, supplying safe drinking water to these households.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) identified Tukergram as one of the worst flood-affected areas and the hamlet does not have a government-provided water pipeline, officials said.
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The sanctioned pipeline through Kalinagar Gram Panchayat had to pass through a drain, making its execution difficult while the hamlet on the hillock also lacked road connectivity, electricity, and toilets.
Nestled beside a picturesque lake that was once part of the meandering Barak River, this hillock turns into an island during the flood-affected months and continues to remain marooned until the water level recedes.
During this period, families living in low-lying areas migrate to the highest part of the hamlet, enduring congested and unhygienic conditions, a local resident said.
Fifty-eight-year-old Abdul Jabbar, one of the 152 residents of the village, said, ‘Families here rely on the lake for daily water needs, but during floods, the overflowing lake becomes contaminated leading to immense difficulties and health problems.”
Rainfall and floods have become increasingly erratic and intense, prolonging the monsoon season and worsening its impact, he pointed out.
During these months, residents collected rainwater and used alum to decontaminate the water or else ‘we have to manage with water from the ‘nala’ (drains)’, Jabbar said, adding that the problem was acute.
After consultations with the agencies concerned, it was decided that UNICEF India in collaboration with a local NGO, DDMA, PHED, and the Community Facilitation and Resource Centre (CFRC)—a nodal government body under DDMA, and the panchayat and the rural development department (P&RD) will address the issue as a top priority, an official said.
“It was decided to work with the community and make interventions that will not only address the immediate water needs but also help build community resilience against future floods,” Cachar DDMA Project Officer Shamim Laskar said.
An emergency mobile water treatment unit was provided, which purifies the lake water through the simple process of pumping, filtration, and disinfection using chlorine, he said.
‘The unit is easy to install and operate and this has become a game-changer for Tukergram, ensuring safe drinking water, especially during floods,” he said.
Implementing sustainable water and sanitation solutions in remote and flood-prone areas is not easy, the project officer said.
“Hilly terrain makes access difficult, infrastructure gap persists, raising community awareness and coordinating multiple stakeholders are also challenging tasks, but we are committed to finding solutions,” Laskar said.
The Community Facilitation and Resource Centre (CFRC) plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between communities and disaster response agencies, ensuring that relief reaches those who need it most, CFRC nodal officer Ashim Kumar Das said.
‘During floods, we act as a bridge between communities and agencies like SDRF and DDMA, ensuring timely assistance with evacuation, clean water, and medical aid,” Das said.
The community has taken ownership of the water treatment unit and to make it more sustainable, a sub-water committee was formed with 14 members, including six women.
‘The committee manages the unit’s daily operations, schedules water collection, arranges fuel, and ensures maintenance. Each household contributes Rs 20 per week for daily collection of water,” he said.
There are plans to link the committee with a bank for fund management, he said.
“The mobile water treatment unit provides safe drinking water year-round. We ensure its maintenance, and during floods, we distribute clean water to nearby villages, preventing waterborne diseases and improving resilience”, Das added.
The district administration is also exploring ways to bring Tukergram under the Piped Water Supply Scheme for household tap connections in the near future but till then, the mobile water treatment unit remains a crucial resource, ensuring access to potable water during floods, another official said.
There used to be worms in the water, causing stomach ailments, skin infections, and other health issues, especially in children but now, with clean drinking water, these problems have been addressed, said a trained operator of the unit Sajida Begum Talukdar.
Beyond Tukergram, efforts to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation have been scaled up across multiple flood-affected regions, UNICEF’s chief of field office Madhulika Jonathan said.
“UNICEF and its partners have adopted a multi-sectoral approach to ensure that relief efforts are not just temporary solutions but long-term interventions aimed at strengthening community resilience,” she said.
“Through the Assam Flood Relief Programme, hygiene kits, chlorine tablets and water dispensers, raised or disaster resilient community toilets, training in schools, and communities, and emergency mobile water treatment and filtration units were provided to ensure that people could have access to safe and clean drinking water, essential hygiene and sanitation,” Jonathan added. (PTI)
