Mongla, Dec 25, (V7N) - A knowledge-sharing workshop was held on Tuesday at the office of the Bagerhat District Commissioner on the project “Enhancing Safe Drinking Water Security and Climate Resilience through Rainwater Harvesting,” organized by BRAC's Climate Change Program. The event was conducted by BRAC’s Program Manager, Mahfuz-ur-Rahman, and the welcome speech was delivered by Abu Sadat Moniruzzaman Khan, the Program Head of BRAC’s Climate Change Program.

He highlighted that through this project, safe drinking water has been ensured for 72,360 people across six unions of Mongla Upazila, namely Chila, Chandpai, Sonailtala, Mithakhali, Sundarbans, and Burirdanga. The project has set up 9,935 rainwater harvesting systems, 35 community and institution-based rainwater harvesting systems, and 4 solar-powered Pond Sand Filter (PSF) water purification systems. Additionally, 54 Climate Action Groups and 6 Climate Youth Groups have been formed, organizing nearly 2,000 community members.

In the workshop, Mahfuz-ur-Rahman presented the details and achievements of the project, and the closing remarks were made by the District Commissioner of Bagerhat, Ahmed Kamrul Hasan. BRAC’s Climate Change Program has been addressing the safe drinking water crisis since 2019 in Mongla, an area highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially due to increasing salinity and a growing water scarcity.

The project, which is being supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to combat this issue by implementing rainwater harvesting systems, providing an effective and sustainable solution to the water crisis caused by climate change. The project, running from January 2022 to December 2024, has already benefitted over 72,360 people in Mongla Upazila, aiming to improve their living conditions and offer a model that can be replicated in other areas.

The event was attended by Project Lead Umme Tania Sultana, Project Manager Md. Shafiqur Rahman, government officials, NGO representatives, journalists, BRAC beneficiaries, and other dignitaries.

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