Shiuli Begum set up her own water treatment plant providing clean water to her community
How the choice to run a water treatment plant is changing lives in coastal Bangladesh
Published on: 03/01/2025
For much of her life, Shiuli Begum, a mother in her 40s, had to make impossible choices just to keep her family healthy. In the small coastal town of Patharghata, southern Bangladesh, clean water was a luxury. “We used to drink water from the pond,” she says. “It wasn’t salty like the river, but it was never clean. In the rainy season, we would collect rainwater and store it in plastic drums – but it never lasted long enough.”
Every sip came at a cost: for her, for her husband and two daughters, as well as for the 1,000 or so people in her local community. “We were often ill, and had to spend a lot of money on medicines.” Each day came with the fear that the water might make them sick.
But when Shiuli met Shamsul, a local project officer from BRAC, an international development agency – everything changed.
Shiuli explained her problem, and Shamsul told her how people in other sub-districts had set up their own water treatment plants, with the help of a partnership initiative from IRC and BRAC. “This was new to me. But my husband, who repairs boats, is interested in new technologies – so he encouraged me to go for it.”
It was a big step. The plant would be the first of its kind in the sub-district. But with a loan and technical advice from the partnership, Shiuli took the leap.
BRAC and IRC have spent a decade strengthening water, sanitation, and hygiene services in 250 sub-districts across Bangladesh – particularly in climate-vulnerable areas like Patharghata. Their long-term work with governments and communities, businesses and non-profits, meant Shiuli wasn’t starting from scratch. With access to expertise, training and finance, Shiuli was ready to build her business – and a future for her family.
At first, she gave water away for free. “People took time to get used to it,” she remembers. “We’d almost forgotten the taste of clean water.” Then gradually, people started buying it. Then the BRAC sub-district office became Shiuli’s first corporate client, followed by businesses in the town.
Now, they’ve tripled their capacity with a second unit. Local entrepreneurs collect water from Shiuli and distribute it in jars to neighbouring villages. Fishermen stock up before heading to sea. Shiuli’s next big ideas are to add solar power, and piped connections to nearby homes. Clean water has become a part of daily life in Patharghata.
Shiuli believes that providing people with clean water is a great way to serve others. "People appreciate what we do. Clean water is life. And I'm proud that I'm part of something that serves the community."
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