Hundreds of people in more than 30 villages along the Balu and Turag rivers in Dhaka and Narayanganj yesterday were found waiting in front of their inundated houses with jugs, pitchers and other containers to collect drinking water from relief workers.

Most people in the flooded villages have to take contaminated floodwaters as tube-wells are under water.

"We can go without food for a couple of days but scarcity of drinking water has endangered our lives. We are now exposed to various diseases including diarrhoea," said Kanai Lal of village Chatiyan in Narayanganj.

"We have no choice but to take floodwater for the last 20 days. We are not getting water purifying tablets in the locality," said Solaiman of Keodala village.

Only a few villagers, who have boats, were collecting water from the lone tube-well in the area still to be submerged.

"Why do they (relief workers) bring drinking water for us?" asked housewife Yasmin of the area. "Give us water purifying tablets and medicines for the diseases we are exposed to," she added.

To The Daily Star, locals complained of the spread of diarrhoea and skin diseases.

Manzu Morshed, coordinator of disaster management of CARE Bangladesh, said water-borne diseases will pose a serious problem in the areas if the affected people do not get pure water for cooking, drinking and such other uses.

A government official also admitted scarcity of pure water in the area.

Mohammad Alauddin, deputy land officer, who is now supervising two flood shelters in Demra, said around 320 families are now facing water crisis.

Dhaka Wasa (Water and Sewerage Authority) said earlier it was supplying around 4.5 lakh litres of drinking water to the flood-hit areas in the city. It was also taking water to the areas using trollies and boats, it mentioned.

CARE Bangladesh has set up two temporary water purifying plants in Demra and Rayerbazar with a capacity of purifying 40,000 litres of water a day for supply in the areas.

Meanwhile, many local influentials, now cultivating fish in floodwaters, have blocked canals from rivers and open spaces now under water greatly hampering plying of boats with relief materials and other goods.