Students of Kakabo Government Primary School and Nischintapur Government Primary School in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, are suffering for lack of proper water supply on the premises for the last few years.

As a result, students and teachers have to go to the neighbourhood to fetch drinking water or use the toilets whenever necessary.

This has also resulted in verbal abuses on them by the neighbours on repeated occasions, they alleged.

This correspondent recently visited the schools and spoke to teachers and students.

Head Mistress of Kakabo Government Primary School Rokeya Begum said that in 2015 Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) installed a tube-well on the school premises which lasted only five months.

The water crisis has become so severe that parents are now thinking to take back their kids from the school, said the teacher, adding that the school authorities and Savar DPHE were informed about the matter.

Assistant Teacher of Nischintapur Government Primary School Jhorna Begum said that under a project called PDEP-3, DPHE installed a female wash block on the school premises in 2013 which included a water pump, which turned out faulty and unusable after just five months.

“From then on, we have been using water from our neighbouring mosque and high school. We can't use our toilet due to lack of water,” she said.

Moyna Akter, a fifth-grader female student of the school, mentioned her discomfort and fear to go to other institutions for using the toilet.

Seeking anonymity, another student in Moyna's class alleged that toilets in her school can be used by bringing water from outside, but the head teacher always keeps the wash block closed.

Asked about the matter, Head Mistress Asma Akter said the wash block is locked for lack of water.

Engineers at DPHE assured us of repairing the pump after the on-going construction work of the male wash block is completed, Asma said.

Meanwhile, in Birulia Government Primary School students and teachers are suffering as their toilet is in dilapidated condition and has turned unusable.

Head Mistress Rabeya Khanam said that children and teachers are suffering for the last few years as both the toilets are unusable due to their dilapidated conditions.

Mahfuzur Rahman, sub-assistant engineer of Savar's DPHE office, said that under the project of PEDP-3, so far 65 wash blocks have been already set up in several primary schools in the town and PEDP-4 will begin in 2019.

Asked about when the problem of three schools will be solved, the official said Nischintapur Government Primary School's problem will be solved as soon as possible while the others will be solved by the first phase of PEDP-4 project. 

Upazila Primary Education Officer in Savar Tabshira Islam Liza said she is aware of the demand. The problems will be solved after providing wash blocks.

“Every school will get wash blocks in phases. We have informed Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) of the demands,” she added.