March 23, 2006: The World Bank is poised to play a major role in helping solve serious water problems in Bangladesh.
The Bank released the Bangladesh Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy in December, signaling it will again become involved in the South Asian countrys water sector.
One project – the Bangladesh Water Supply Program Project – is already ongoing. Two other projects, focusing on Dhaka, are being prepared.
– Water is a key issue in Bangladesh and the Bank felt that it was important to reengage and to do so in a strategic manner, says Karin E. Kemper, Lead Water Resource Management Specialist.
The Assistance Strategy describes what the Bank can and will do to help Bangladesh protect and manage water resources needed for drinking water, sanitation, transportation, fisheries, and agriculture.
The report says that a large increase in the population, combined with economic growth, will tax water resources over the next half-century. It forecasts that the population will grow from 133 million to 220 million by 2050.
As a result, water will likely become the countrys most important environmental and development issue in the future, says the report.
Large investments in water infrastructure are needed to supply water to expanding urban centers. Current systems deliver about 10.000 million liters a day. Future demand is expected to be over 35.000 million liters a day.
Dhaka to Become Mega City
Delivering safe water and a functioning sewerage system to the city of Dhaka, alone, poses a major challenge. The estimated cost of correcting current problems and preparing for the future will range up to 8 billion US dollar over 20 years, according to the report.
Dhaka is expected to grow from nine million people in 2000 to 30 million in 2025 and 50 million by 2050 to become one of the worlds mega cities.
About 70 percent of Dhakas population is served by the main public water supply system. “The rest of the population, mainly the poor and disadvantaged, are dependent on local sources, many of which are unreliable and increasingly polluted,” the report says.
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The citys sewerage system serves only 27 percent of the population. The Buriganga and the Lakhya Rivers around Dhaka absorb about 80 percent of the citys effluent (spildevand).
The Water Strategy notes that pollution exacerbates (forværrer) water shortages and results in disease, malnutrition, higher medical costs and lost income and can be expected to hamper the citys economic growth prospects in the future if it remains unaddressed.
Kemper says a programmatic approach to dealing with the water resources around Dhaka needs to be developed and combined with a plan to expand water supply, drainage and sewerage.
Vulnerable to Climate Change
Bangladesh also needs to factor climate change into long-term planning, the report warns.
The country is vulnerable to climate change because it is densely populated, located in a low-lying delta, subject to flooding during the monsoon season, and suffers water shortages during the dry season.
It is already the “most disaster-prone of all countries,” says the report, having suffered 170 large-scale disasters between 1970 and 1998, with an annual frequency of 6,11 disasters.
Climate change could reduce the amount of fresh water available during the dry season, increase flooding during the monsoon season, and worsen drainage problems in coastal areas.
– Climate change is important to the country, especially with regard to further sea water intrusion in the coastal zone, Kemper says.
According to the report, a possible sea level rise of 30 cm or more would exacerbate drainage problems along the coast, currently protected from flooding by embankments and drainage regulators designed for current water levels and tidal fluctuations.
– In addition to the coastal zone issues, there may be more rain, i.e., floods over the coming decades, followed by less rain. That means that flood management and adaptation are key issues for years to come, Kemper says.
– The key word is “adaptation”, she says.
The poor country needs to “progressively adapt” to changes brought about by climate change, so that expected impacts can be taken into account proactively in the planning and design of water resources infrastructure.
Bank Assistance
The Banks Water Country Assistance Strategy outlines a vision highlighting the enormity and complexity of investments and reforms necessary to address the countrys water needs, and names a number of top priority programs. They include:
– Improving water supply, sanitation, and drainage in Dhaka
– Wetland rehabilitation and management
– Rehabilitating flood control and drainage infrastructure
– Supporting programs and policies that expand minor irrigation
– Supporting efforts to manage river erosion
– Continuing support to scale up safe rural and small-town water supply
– supporting inland transport
Kemper says the Bank will also stand ready to support the government of Bangladesh in its efforts to improve the institutional and governance structures in the various water-related sectors to ensure infrastructure investments enhance economic growth and poverty reduction.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
