The students, teachers and officials of Rajshahi University (RU) are suffering from various diseases due to lack of safe drinking water. Owing to a falling water table in the region, most of the tube wells on the campus and the adjoining areas have become defunct. One the other hand, water with excessive amounts of dissolved minerals such as iron and magnesium can have negative effects on the skin, experts say.

The authorities of RU set up several tube wells for different dormitories, but due to the falling water level, most of the tube wells have become inoperative and others are pumping up arsenic-contaminated water. Besides, due to the negligence of the university authorities, most of the time residential students suffer extreme water crisis.

About 39 tube wells have been installed in different times to supply safe water to dormitory student but only 20 are operative. The others are not free of arsenic contamination, an investigation has revealed.  A senior doctor at the RU medical centre said long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water can cause cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder and kidneys. It can also cause other skin changes such as thickening and pigmentation.

“Contamination of drinking water can cause severe skin diseases including skin cancer, lung, bladder and kidney cancer. It also seems to have a negative impact on the reproductive processes,” he added.

An investigation has found students of a hall with a defunct tube well have to go to another hall to get drinking water. It also found that hall dining and canteen authorities use unsafe water for cooking and serve contaminated water during lunch.

Most of the residential halls on the campus do not have enough safe water facilities. The university has 18 residential halls—11 for male and 6 for female students, and one for international students.

There are some 33,874 students currently enrolled in the university; of them, 22,290 are male and 11,584 female students, according to the university's annual report of 2016-17, said a source in the university administration.

Of the total, only 8,130 students (5,061 male and 3,069 female) reside in 17 different student dormitories, the source said quoting the report.

Nawab Abdul Latif Hall, has only one tube well for 325 boarders living in two blocks.

Two tube wells are operating out of four at Shaheed Shamsuzzuha Hall having 420 boarders.

At Rokiya Hall, only two out of five tube wells are working to serve 720 residential students.

Banghabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall has four tube wells, but only one works, while the number of residential students is 496.

Ser E Bangla Hall, having 308 students, and Motihar Hall, having 540boarders, has only one operating tube well each.

Sayed Amir Ali Hall has four tube wells but only two of them work, while there are 410 borders.

Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall has two operative tube wells out of three, while there are 802 boarders. Mader Bux Hall, having 540 boarders, has four tube wells but only two of them function.

Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall has four tube wells but only two are operative, while the number of boarders is 490.

Monnojan Hall has three is operative tube wells out of four to serve 860 students.

Two are operative out of five at Tapusi Rabeya, while the student strength is 460. It also has two mass rooms with more than 175 students.

Begum Khaleda Zia Hall has one active tube well out of two, while there are 452 students. It also has a mass room with more than 100 students, sources added.