DHAKA, June 10, 2026 (BSS) – The government has decided that local Members of Parliament (MPs) and Union Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committees will equally recommend sites for tubewell installation under the ongoing “Safe Water Supply Countrywide” project.

Under the decision, 50 percent of the recommendations for tubewell installation sites will come from local MPs while the remaining 50 percent from Union WATSAN Committees, according to a directive issued on May 23 by the Water Supply-1 Branch of the Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

The directive said the measure was taken to ensure that local needs and public demand receive due priority in implementing the project, which is being executed by the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE).

Officials said the decision would strengthen coordination between elected representatives as well as local water and sanitation committees, helping project benefits reach people more effectively.

The Local Government Division also asked the DPHE to take necessary steps to inform all MPs about the tubewell site selection process so that they can play a more effective role in project implementation.

Project sources said many people in rural and coastal areas still lack adequate access to safe drinking water due to arsenic contamination, salinity and other forms of water pollution.

To address the problem, the government has undertaken a number of initiatives, including the “Safe Water Supply Countrywide” project aimed at expanding access to safe and potable water.

Officials concerned expressed hope that the joint participation of MPs and Union WATSAN Committees would help ensure quicker and more effective delivery of project benefits to the intended beneficiaries.