Robi initiative ensures safe drinking water for railway passengers

Hundreds of thousands of railway passengers are getting access to free drinking water, thanks to a project titled ‘Nirapod Pani, Shustho Jibon’ (Safe Water, Healthy Life). The project currently covers 10 major rail stations across the country, where each of the installed water purification plants supply 5 thousand litres of clean and safe drinking water per hour.

Robi Axiata Limited, the leading 4.5G telecom service provider in the country, and sponsor for the project, has been working to supply safe drinking water to railway passengers for nearly a decade.

Under the project, plants for supplying safe drinking water have been set up at railway stations across Bangladesh including at the Kamalapur and Airport Railway Stations in Dhaka, as well as in Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Netrokona's Mohanganj, Feni, and Cumilla Railway Stations.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Robi has built these plants in partnership with the Bangladesh Railway to provide free-of-cost drinking water for railway passengers. Development NGO WaterAid is providing technical assistance for the project.

The plants have separate arrangements for the use of men, women, and disabled people, along with dedicated places with water taps for wudu (ablution).

The purification units use UV and membrane filters, as well as reverse osmosis technology at some of the plants to treat the water. Because of the use of high-quality purification technology, the plants have gained trust of the passengers.

This initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which aims to ensure safe water and sanitation for all by 2030. The government is actively working towards achieving this goal throughout the country.

Robi's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer, Sahed Alam, stated that Robi is working with the Government to establish a robust public health system under the slogan ‘Nirapod Pani, Shustho Jibon’. This initiative is aligned with achieving the SDG 6 in Bangladesh.

 The project, which began in 2011 through the plant at the Kamalapur Railway Station, is part of Robi's decade-long commitment to help build a robust public health system in the country.