1. Internship Report Exploration of Pipeline Water System in
Doldoli Tea Garden and its Feasibility from a Planning Perspective
September 2011
2. i Internship Report Exploration of Pipeline Water System in
Doldoli Tea Garden and its Feasibility from a Planning Perspective
Submitted by Shahadat Hossain Shakil Student of Level-4/Term-2
Department of Urban and Regional Planning Bangladesh University of
Engineering and Technology Supervised by Shamim Ahmed Assistant
Program Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion WaterAid in Bangladesh
September 2011
3. ii Acknowledgement I want to express my gratitude to
WaterAid in Bangladesh for giving me this chance to work with them.
I would like to acknowledge my supervisor Shamim Ahmed (Assisstant
Program Coordinator Equity & Inclusion) for his regular
guidance. Thank goes to Pankaj Ghosh Dostider (Project Manager,
IDEA) and Rantu Das (Field Engineer, IDEA) for their cordial help
during the field trip in Sylhet. Finally I want to thank my thesis
supervisor Dr. Ishrat Islam (Assistant Professor, DURP, BUET) for
her guidance and help.
4. iii Abstract Tea is one of the most important foreign
revenue earning products in Bangladesh. This success is led by the
intense hard work of the tea garden laborers. Though they work
really hard, they are deprived from some basic human rights. They
lead a very pitiable life in consideration of Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene (WaSH). Doldoli tea garden is not an exception. The main
objective of this internship report is to explore the existing pipe
line water supply system in Doldoli and come up with some possible
recommendations for its restoration process. The existing water
supply option has been evaluated as a part of the short study and
supplementary actions have been anticipated considering various
socio-economic factors.
5. iv Table of Contents Contents Page No Title Page i
Acknowledgement ii Abstract iii Table of Contents iv Lists of
Illustration vi Chapter 01: Introduction (Page 1-4) 1.1 Background
of the Study 1 1.2 Literature Review 1 1.3 Main Objective 2 1.3.1
Specific Objectives 2 1.4 Justification 2 1.5 Study Design 3 1.6
Scope of the Study 3 1.7 Study Area Profile 3 Chapter 02:
Exploration of the Existing Pipeline Water System (Page 5-8) 2.1
Present Physical Condition 5 2.2 Problems Identified 6 2.3 Effects
of the Problems 7 2.4 Assessment of the Water Facilities 7 2.5
Feasibility of the Pipeline Water System 7 2.6 Evaluation of the
Proposed Renovation 8
6. v Chapter 03: Findings and Recommendations (Page 9-10) 3.1
Overall Findings 9 3.2 Short Term Recommendations - Low Cost 9 3.3
Long Term Recommendations - High Cost 9 3.4 Conclusion 10
References Appendices (Page I-VII) A - Existing Water Supply Point
and Tube Well List I B - Map of Doldoli Tea Garden III C -
Identified Locations for Pipe Line Repairing IV D - Pictures of
Present Physical Condition and Problems Identified V E - Proposed
New Water Supply Points and Tube Wells VII
7. vi List of Illustration List of Figures Page No. Figure 1.1
: Map of Sylhet Sadar Upazilla 4 Figure 1.2 : Study Area of Doldoli
Tea Garden 4 Figure 2.1: Water Supply Platform 8 Figure 2.2 :
Bathing Facility in the Platform 8 Figure 2.3 : Proposed Water
Supply Platform 8 Figure 2.4 : Proposed Bathing Facility 8 List of
Tables Page No. Table 2.1: At a Glance Water Supply Facility in
Doldoli Tea Garden 5
8. 1 | P a g e Chapter - 01: Introduction 1.1 Background of the
Study Bangladesh is an agro based developing country. It is facing
numerous problems regarding water, sanitation and hygiene since its
birth. This problem is more severe in the north-east part of
(Sylhte Division) the country where majority [135 (Banglapedia,
2006)] of the tea gardens are located. The overall statistics of
access to safe water is 85.5% (GOB & UNICEF, 2009) but in the
study area of this report (Doldoli Tea Garden; Sylhet Sadar) it is
74.8% (WaterAid & IDEA , 2010). Among 198 households (in the
selected study area) only 34 have pipeline water system (Field
Survey: 2011).Tea-community (tea laborers) facing this kind of
problem more than other because of their extreme poverty and lack
of education. Equity and Inclusion program of WaterAid Bangladesh
aims to eradicate poverty of the tea community by providing
admittance to safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Under
this program WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) project is being
implemented with incorporation with the local partner IDEA
(Institute of Development Affairs). Among the four tea gardens
(Lakkatura, Doldoli, Borjan and Cheragong) of the WaSH project,
Doldoli tea gardens pipeline water system has been selected as the
study topic of this report. 1.2 Literature Review History of
Bangladesh tea industry dates back to around 1823 when tea started
to be grown for commercial purposes in the Assam forests. The first
commercial tea plantation was established in 1857 in Mulnichera in
Sylhet. (Banglapedia, 2006) Tea is the one of the major exporting
product in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the 10th tea producing country
and 9th tea exporting country in the world. There are 164 tea
gardens in Bangladesh in 7 districts. Tea is cultivated in 115,757
hectare land areas in Bangladesh. There are 90 tea gardens in
Moulvibazar, 20 in Sylhet, 23 in Habigonj, 21 in Chittagong, 1 in
Rangamati, 1 in Brahmanbaria and 8 in Panchaghar district. A Total
of 359,085 people live in tea garden areas. 89,812 registered
laborers and 19,592 casual laborers are working in the tea gardens.
(Rahman, 2007) During its initial stage, plantation in Bangladesh
faced acute shortage of labor. No local workers were willing to do
this job since it is very hard and labor intensive. The colonial
British Government deployed indentured immigrants to meet this
shortage.
9. 2 | P a g e Tea plantation workers in Bangladesh came mostly
from the backward class and tribal areas of central India and
regions of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. The present
work force in the tea plantation sector of Bangladesh is the fourth
generation of those indentured immigrants. (Majumder, 2001)
Productivity of the tea plantation workers in Bangladesh is far
less than that of the other tea producing countries in Asia and
Africa. In addition to crop yield, a large number of factors have
contributed to the low productivity of tea plantation workers in
Bangladesh. Among these factors, socio-cultural and religious
barriers; geographical isolation and bonded nature of workers, very
low education and poor health status of the workers; extremely
inadequate wages and fringe benefits; low quality and quantity of
benefits in kind; and uncongenial working conditions are the most
influential ones. These factors deprive the tea plantation workers
from their basic right to decent work. This deprivation greatly
deteriorates the labor standards of the tea plantation industry in
Bangladesh. (Majumder, 2001) 1.3 Main Objective To assess the
proposed pipeline water system in Doldoli tea garden. 1.3.1
Specific Objectives To assess the existing pipeline water system in
Doldoli tea garden and proposed renovations. To assess the water
facilities in Doldoli tea garden from a planners perspective and
make recommendations for program incorporation 1.4 Justification
Safe water supply system is very crucial for livelihood, sanitation
and hygiene. In Doldoli tea garden any kind of natural water option
other than pipeline water system is absent. Few ring well and
shallow tube is there but in a non functioning state. It will be
described in detail in the next chapter. Pipeline water system has
been provided by the tea garden authority in near about 1980. The
number of supply points1 (34) is now very insufficient if
considered with the demand. Condition of the pipeline water system
network is very vulnerable due to lack of maintenance. This causes
contamination and worsening the water quality. So a 1 Pipeline is
extended from the main pipeline water system to a specific location
for providing water to a few household.
10. 3 | P a g e comprehensive study was needed to improve the
pipeline water system in Doldoli to achieve the Goal of this
project. 1.5Study Design This one month internship project has been
designed in the following way. Project has been assigned by the
Assistant Program Coordinator (APC) of Equity and Inclusion program
of WaterAid Bangladesh. Preliminary information about the project
and the study area has been gathered. Then a Seven (7) day field
trip has been made. During the early period of the field trip all
the relevant data and maps regarding the project have been
collected from the local partners (IDEA) office in Sylhtet. In the
later part field survey; informal discussions with the workers,
community leaders and tea garden authority; map production of the
whole study area indicating the supply network have been done.
Visit to number of household with the Field Engineer of IDEA has
been performed to visualize their problems and their need. In the
next stage all data, maps and pictures were analyzed to find out
the sustainable and best fit solution for short-run and long-run. A
report and PowerPoint presentation have been prepared. 1.6 Scope of
the Study Through this study the renovation options for pipeline
water system of Doldoli can be figured out. The immediate need and
longer version need regarding water supply can be explored through
the direct consultation with the workers. Sustainable strategies
can be formulated which fulfills the goal of the WaSH project as
per the community requirement. The main constraint of this study
was the limited time frame of the internship which is only one
month. So only seven days field trip had been made to manage the
schedule effectively. Another constraint is absence of accurate
base map of the study area, for this study which is very crucial.
Nevertheless best effort has been given to find out the sustainable
solution. 1.7Study Area Profile Doldoli tea garden is North-West
side of Sylhet Sadar Upazilla. Its near the Shahi Eidgah and
Scholars Home School of Sylhet. Two map indicating the location of
Doldoli within Sylhet Sadar is presented below.
11. 4 | P a g e Figure 1.1: Map of Sylhet Sadar Upazilla Figure
1.2: Study Area of Doldoli Tea Garden The area of Doldoli tea
garden workers living is subdivided into four lines/zones. They are
Pashchim Line, Chanmari Line, Mandob Line and Muslim Line. There is
no pipeline water system facility in Muslim Line so its not
included in this report. There are total 271(198 in the selected 3
zones) households in this garden. Total population is 1358. Among
them 685 persons are male and 673 are female. Almost every single
family has one or two person working in the garden. Working in the
garden is their main occupation. New generations are now switching
to other professions outside the garden which is experienced during
the field survey. There is no government school inside the garden
though it is the responsibility of the tea garden authority to
ensure this facility. There is no medical center or recreational
facilities in the garden. Brac and UCEP are working with the
primary school going children. IDEA is working with the WaSH
program which is supported by WaterAid Bangladesh. Though the main
focus of this report is to assess the pipeline water system but
from the field survey other problems have also been identified.
They are Sanitation and Drugs. Sanitation practice among the tea
garden workers is largely absent. Ground water and supply water
contamination is also closely related with that. Drugs are cheaply
available because of close proximity with the border.
12. 5 | P a g e Chapter - 02: Exploration of the Existing
Pipeline Water System 2.1 Present Physical Condition During the
field survey in the three para (Pashchim Line, Chanmari Line and
Mandob Line) of this tea garden total 34 water supply points is
identified. Out of these 34 points, 6 supply points are for the
stuff of the tea garden. So the worker cant use it. Consulting with
the operator of the water supply pump of the garden Ganeshda (he is
also the head of the Panchayet committee) it was found that total
10-12 supply points are provided by the garden authority at the
beginning. Rests of the points are extended by the workers with
their own cost. In total 8 shallow tube wells were found. Among
them only 4 were working. Present physical condition of water
supply is described in a tabular format below. Table 2.1: At a
Glance Water Supply Facility in Doldoli Tea Garden Para Name No. of
HH Total Popn No. of Supply Point (34) No. of Shallow Tube Well (8)
No. of Ring Well (1)With Tap Without Tap Functioning Non
Functioning Pashchim Line 77 353 7 5 2 1 1 Chanmari Line 29 214 2 2
0 1 0 Mandob Line 92 445 10 8 0 4 0 Total 198 (Excluding Pashchim
Line) 1012 19 15 2 6 1 From the table it can be summarize that one
supply point is available for near about 6 families (198
families/34 supply points). The alternative options are also very
insufficient. The data sheet regarding the supply points and tube
well location is attached in Appendix-A. The map showing the
location of all the supply points is attached in Appendix-B.
13. 6 | P a g e 2.2 Problems Identified Insufficient Supply: To
serve near about 1400 population there is only one water pump. In
addition during the time of power failure water supply is seriously
disrupted. Fixed Time Frame: Supply is provided during 3 fixed
periods in a day. They are 6.00 AM 8.00 AM; 1.00 PM 2.00 PM and
5.00 PM 7.00 PM. During consultation with Ganeshda he said We have
only one pump. It will not be able to take the load if we
continuously run it for the whole day. Thats why we only provide
water at peak times of the day. The amount of water is sufficient.
Reverse image is found when taking an informal interview of a women
named Sumitra Das. She said Supply is not enough. During morning
and in the evening necessity of water reaches the peak. In that
time we have to wait a long time to get water because of long
serial in front of the supply tap. When the power is out, pump is
not functioning and the tube well does not work, we are in big
trouble. We have to collect water outside of the garden then
Absence of Water Tap and Pucca Platform: Out of 34 water supply
points only 19 have tap or flow controlling facility. Rests 15 are
just open pipes. There is no flow controlling facilities there
which causes wastage of water in several places. Absence of any
kind of pucca platform near/under the water supply point is also
noticed. Causing unhygienic condition during and after the
collection period. Non-functioning Shallow Tube Well: Among 8 tube
wells found half of those are not working anymore because of low
water table. Others are also in a risk of being closed down.
Absence of Natural Source: A pond is there but its dry because of
very low water table. Any kind of Chara, Jhorna, Canal is absent in
the nearest locality. So they are dependent on the pipeline water
system. Its a huge drawback. Leakage in the Pipeline Water System:
During field survey 8 locations have been identified having serious
damage and leakage in the pipeline water system network. This
threatens health of the workers through water contamination. List
of identified location of pipeline leakage is attached in
Appendix-C. Inefficient Distribution of the Water Supply Points:
Supply points are distributed in a scattered way not considering
the geographical and density factor. This is because of the
financial capability of the workers who could extend the line to
his/her house. This way the better off sections enjoying the better
opportunity now. People in the
14. 7 | P a g e upper hills having no money and power are
suffering the most. Relevant pictures regarding present physical
condition and problems identified are attached in Appendix-D. 2.3
Effects of the Problems Supply is not sufficient to fulfill day
long demand quite efficiently. This problem is found to be more
acute during weekends and other holidays. Long waiting hours for
collecting water. As water points are limited Collection of water
is challenging work for the women and children living in the upper
hills. Only a few houses have storage option. Thats why they have
to travel 3-4 time or more to collect water. Wastage of water due
to the absence of any kind of taps or flow controlling mechanisms
in most of the supply points. Leakage in pipeline and absence of
pucca platform in the supply points threatens the quality of water
and crates health related diseases. 2.4 Assessment of the Water
Facilities Pipeline water system is the key option. This is because
of absence of any other natural alternatives. The only alternative
which is tube well is not properly working in many cases. Low water
table because of high altitude location is the main reason. The
tube wells are free from Arsenic, Iron and others ground water
contaminations. So deep tube wells can be sustainable alternatives.
Pipeline water system should be renovated for leakage and extended
where needed. This should be done considering the density and
altitude location of the houses. New supply points and tube wells
should be given considering the greater catchment area of that
providing location. 2.5 Feasibility of the Pipeline Water System
Supplying water through the pipeline water system network is a must
in this area because of absence of any other water option. Water
supply controlling facilities together with maintenance knowledge
in the community is needed to sustain this key option in this
garden.
15. 8 | P a g e Figure 2.1: Water Supply Platform Figure 2.2:
Bathing Facility in the Platform Figure 2.3: Proposed Water Supply
Platform Figure 2.4: Proposed Bathing Facility 2.6 Evaluation of
the Proposed Renovation IDEA (supported by WaterAid) has
constructed two water supply platforms together with bathing
facilities in two household. This has been highly appreciated by
the community inhabitants. This system of renovation provides
privacy and good hygiene practice among the inhabitants but the
household just beside that enjoys more benefit. If more households
to be served with the limited budget then the following type of
structure can be suggested. Two taps in a single column with a
pucca platform can be constructed. For providing the bathing
facility a small pucca platform with tree leaves
shading/surrounding can be suggested. This will serve the purpose
as well as create hygiene behavior among the community. The shaded
bathing facility with pucca platform is already experienced in some
of the household. This will reduce the location disparity among the
household by providing more platform for water supply within the
limited budget.
16. 9 | P a g e Chapter - 03: Findings and Recommendations 3.1
Overall Findings Pipeline water system is a must in this area but
needed extensive renovation. Alternative sources have to be built
to meet up the demand in the emergency time. Knowledge regarding
health and hygiene among the inhabitants is almost absent.
Sustainable solutions have to be provided allowing different
socio-economic factors. 3.2 Short Term Recommendations - Low Cost
(Arranged According to Priority Basis) First. Providing water tap
in the needed supply points (15) with pucca platform. Second.
Repair the leakage in pipeline network. Selected points (8) are
listed in Appendix-C. Third. Providing bathing facility with a
pucca platform and shading. 3.3 Long Term Recommendations - High
Cost (Arranged According to Priority Basis) First. Providing new 6
water supply points. The locations of these new points are listed
in Appendix-E. They are also indicated in the map of Appendix-B.
This 6 location has been determined considering various
socio-economic factors like density, distance from house and
deprived houses for high altitude. The vital aspect considered
while selecting these locations is consultation with the local
community. Any kind of influence or biasness is tried to avoid
during selecting these new locations. Second. Providing 3 deep tube
well in 3 prime location of this area to cover the whole area. This
tube wells will be act as the alternative source of water. Their
location is also listed in Appendix-E and indicated in the map of
Appendix-B. Third. Large scale renovation of the pipeline water
system network including excavation in the ground to put the
pipeline network inside in many places. This will reduce further
leakage possibility in the long run and possibility of future
health hazard. Fourth. Providing water supply platform with bathing
facility in every water supply point step by step what IDEA and
WaterAid has already provided in two locations. Fifth. Replacing
the non functioning shallow tube well with the deeper ones step by
step. Sixth. Providing deep tube well in every water supply point
in the future to ensure long term sustainable solution. Seventh.
Another water pump (motor) should be provided to ensure the day
long supply. Eighth. Creating awareness regarding hygiene and
maintenance of the provided facilities.
17. 10 | P a g e 3.4 Conclusion Workers of the Doldoli tea
garden lead a very measurable life in consideration of Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene. They are totally dependent upon the tea
garden authority for pipeline water system. The lack of motivation
and willingness of the respective authority for renovation of this
pipeline water system network leaded this into a bad condition in
course of time. This pipeline network requires immediate
improvement. Some needed urgently and some are needed in the long
run which is already mentioned earlier. Improvement measures should
be taken to serve all the inhabitants equally. Finally it can be
stated that if this renovation program implemented successfully it
will help the tea community of this garden to enhance their quality
of life remarkably.
18. References: Banglapedia. (2006). Tea Industry. Retrieved
September 3, 2011, from Banglapedia(National Encyclopedia of
Bangladesh): http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/T_0100.HTM BTB.
(2007). Retrieved August 9, 2011, from Bangladesh Tea Board:
http://www.teaboard.gov.bd/ GOB & UNICEF. (2009). Bangladesh
Mutiple Indicator Cluster Survey . Switzerland: WHO Press.
Majumder, P. P. (2001). Working Conditions in the Bangladesh Tea
Plantation Industry. In ILO, Labour and Social Issues in Plantation
in South Asia (pp. 79-132). India: Publication of the International
Labour Office. Rahman, A. (2007, December 30). Muktomancho.
Retrieved August 3, 2011, from Shamokal:
http://www.samakal.com.bd/archive/details.php?news=10&view=archiev&y=2007&m=12&
d=30&action=main&menu_type=&option=single&news_id=76744&pub_no=739&type=
WaterAid & IDEA. (2010). Project Proposal for WaSH Project.
Sylhet, Bangladeh.
20. II Existing Tube Well List: Sr. No. HH Name Fathers Name
Area/Para Name No. of HH Covers Comments 01 05 02 05 03 08 04 - 05
- 06 - 07 02 08 01
21. III Appendix-B Map of Doldoli Tea Garden Showing Existing
and Proposed Water Supply Points and Tube Well Locations
22. IV Appendix-C Identified Locations for Pipe Line Repairing:
. . . . . .Primary School/ . .
23. V Appendix-D Pictures of Present Physical Condition and
Problems Identified Figure: Water Supply without Water Tap Figure:
Pipe Network is exposed above the Ground Figure: Nonfunctioning
Shallow Tube Well Figure: Unhygienic Condition at Supply Point
24. VI Figure: Absence of Platform and Water Tap Figure:
Exposed Pipe Network in Tilla Figure: Long Serial for Water
Collection Figure: Tap is Unused for the Absence of Platform
25. VII Appendix-E Proposed New Water Supply Points: Sr. No.
Household Name Location 01 02 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 Proposed New Tube
Well Locations: Sr. No. Household Name Location 01 02 03