A few years ago, I went to a doctor’s chamber at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, hoping to get some water. The doctor took a bottle from the cabinet, called the attendant, and said, “Give him a little more than half a glass. If he needs more, he can have it later.” I was struck by the precise measurement and secretly thought the doctor was stingy.

A few years later, in March 2022, two Santhal farmers from Godagari in Rajshahi, Abhinath Marandi and Robi Marandi, drank poison and took their own lives due to lack of irrigation water. That’s when I realized how farsighted that doctor had actually been. Later, I came across research from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute stating that producing just one kilogram of rice in the Barind region consumes nearly 3,000 liters of water—an alarming figure.

Now, the nation has been moved by the tears of young Sajid’s mother. It is high time the government implements a proper water policy. The Barind Multi-Purpose Development Authority (BMDA) should ration water so that our drinking water is not mixed up with irrigation water.

Studies show that excessive groundwater extraction for irrigation is destroying the aquifer layers beneath the soil. These layers contain coarse sand and are critical for holding water. When overuse turns the sand to dust, the aquifer dies, and no rainfall can refill it. Currently, areas like Tanore, Godagari, the Sadar and Gomastapur upazilas of Chapainawabganj, and Porosha, Sapahar, and Niamatpur upazilas of Naogaon are facing this exact problem.

From 2014 to 2023, the Dasco Foundation and the Swiss Red Cross, funded by the Swiss government, conducted a survey under the “Integrated Water Management Project.” Their findings revealed the declining groundwater levels. On August 25, based on this data, the National Water Resources Executive Committee approved a policy decision to declare these areas as water-stressed. On November 6, the government officially designated them as water-scarce. Prior to this, WARPO had already created water regulations in 2018, mandating that groundwater usage must prioritize drinking water.

The BMDA has been cautious about groundwater use for irrigation in the Barind region since 2015, avoiding the installation of new deep tube wells. However, these rules are often ignored. Farmers are installing pumps wherever possible, drilling to locate aquifers. Researchers warn that the remaining pockets of groundwater can run out at any moment, forcing people to buy bottled water. Unsurprisingly, this has angered the farmers—just as I once secretly resented the doctor for rationing water.

Farmers, frustrated by restrictions, are drilling wells without official permission. Some don’t even cover the openings. Last Wednesday (December 10), young Sajid fell into one such open borehole in Tanore. Despite heroic rescue efforts by the fire service, the child later died. Sajid’s mother, Runa Khatun, is demanding justice, and her grief has touched thousands. People across the country watched the rescue efforts online, only to be heartbroken as the child passed away.

Who do we hold responsible? The farmers who took their lives due to lack of irrigation water, Abhinath and Robi Marandi? The deep tube well operator, Sakhawat Hossain, who spent four months in custody claiming innocence? Or the farmer, Kachir Uddin, who ignored regulations and drilled illegally, leading to Sajid’s death? Responsibility cannot be avoided.

All of this tragedy is happening over water—the very water needed to grow rice. Research by Deputy Secretary Razzakul Islam on “Water Governance in the Barind Region” shows that cultivating crops other than rice would be more profitable. Yet farmers cling to rice for food security and tradition, unwilling to take risks with alternative crops. Rice cultivation also represents psychological comfort and social status for them.

What they fail to see is that they are cutting the branch they sit on. If water levels continue to drop, they will eventually have to abandon rice cultivation—and pay for bottled water too.

The tears of young Sajid’s mother have moved the entire nation. It is urgent for the government to enforce a comprehensive water policy. The BMDA must ration water carefully so that drinking water and irrigation water do not get mixed.