Pabla Para, a small settlement of the Mro indigenous community in Bandarban Sadar Upazila, faced significant challenges in accessing safe water. This area, part of the Tongkaboti Union and situated about 1,700 feet above sea level, is home to 85 households with roughly 510 residents, including 253 men and 257 women. They live on steep hills surrounded by forests.
For generations, the community depended on a nearby natural stream, locally known as a “chara”, for their daily water needs. Daily, women and girls traversed steep hill paths with containers and baskets to gather drinking water. washing, cooking, bathing and household cleaning. The journey from home to the jhume and fruit garden was physically challenging, time-consuming, and often required multiple trips each day.
When Water Sources Began to Disappear
Over the years, environmental changes began to affect the natural water flow. Cutting down mother trees in the nearby hills, more households, and changing rainfall patterns have decreased the landscape’s ability to retain water. As a result, the once- reliable stream (Chara) increasingly started to dry up.
During the dry season, women had to walk even farther to collect water. The collected water was not always safe, which caused frequent waterborne diseases among community members. The residents of Pabla para in Bandarban District, like many remote hill communities, were facing the effects of climate change and environmental degradation on their traditional water sources.
Bringing Water from Two Kilometers Away
The Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), a national NGO, helped install a Gravity Flow System (GFS) in the community to tackle this issue.
The water is collected from a natural spring located about 2 kilometers away in the higher hills. Through a pipeline network of approximately 3,500 feet, the water flows naturally down to the community using gravity technology. The system has three 5,000-liter storage tanks and three Gravity Flow Systems for distributing water to various clusters of households.
The system relies solely on gravity, needing no electricity, fuel, or mechanical pumps, making it ideal for remote hilly regions.
Today, all 85 households in Pabla Para have improved access to water throughout the year. The gravity-fed water system now reliably supplies water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Inhabitants no longer have to walk long distances to collect water, saving time and effort. The improved access to water has also contributed to better hygiene and living conditions in the community.
Community Contribution and Ownership
A notable aspect of the project was the strong community participation during construction. Residents of Pabla Para contributed voluntary labor to support the installation of the system.
Community members carried construction materials through steep hills, dug trenches for pipelines and assisted in building the storage tank. The community has created an emergency fund by collecting 50 Tk from each household for maintenance and necessary equipment purchases.
This joint effort fostered a strong sense of ownership and responsibility for maintaining the system, ensuring its long-term sustainability.
Reducing Women’s Hardship
The impact of the Gravity Flow System is especially visible in the lives of women.
Previously, Women spent several hours each day collecting water from distant streams. Carrying heavy containers up steep hills was physically exhausting and sometimes dangerous, particularly during the rainy season.
Now water is available close to their homes. This has reduced physical hardship, saved time and improved safety for women and girls. The time saved allows them to focus more on childcare, household activities and small livelihood opportunities.
Safe Water for School Children
The benefits of the Gravity Flow System extend beyond households. Pabla para also has a local school with 108 students and the school now has access to safe drinking water from the GFS system. This ensures that children can drink clean water during school hours, improving their health, hygiene and learning environment.
Health and Climate Resilience
Reliable access to water has also improved hygiene and sanitation practices in the community. Families can now maintain cleaner homes, wash regularly and use safer water for drinking. As a result, waterborne diseases have decreased.
The system enhances climate resilience by offering sustainable gravity-based water solutions in areas where changing rainfall patterns impact traditional sources.
Water Supporting Livelihoods
Overflow water from the storage tank is also being used productively. Some households use excess water for small-scale irrigation in fruit gardens and biofloc fish farming, promoting food security and creating small income opportunities.
Expanding Climate-Resilient Water Solutions
The Pabla para initiative is part of CCDB’s larger effort to improve water access in remote hill areas. CCDB has successfully implemented 30 Gravity Flow Systems in three upazilas: Bandarban Sadar, Ruma Upazila, and Rowangchhari Upazila. These systems assist indigenous communities in coping with water scarcity and climate change by offering sustainable, low-cost, electricity-free water supply solutions.
A Model for Hill Communities
Pabla para shows that simple technology and active community involvement can greatly improve the lives of remote hill communities. The community now has reliable water access year-round by bringing water from a distant spring and using gravity.
The Gravity Flow System, supported by CCDB and the community’s dedication, has transformed a long-standing challenge into a story of health, dignity, and resilience for the Mro people of Pabla para in Tongkaboti Union. A daily battle for water has turned into a reliable source of opportunity and hope in the hills.
Author Introduction:
Engr. Md. Ashrafuzzaman Khan
MIEB-M40056
Interim Coordinator – Resilience Building
Climate Change Program
Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB)
<88 Senpara Parbata, Mirpur 10, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh
