NEWS reports said water supply in the capital is facing a severe crisis. In an appalling development, some areas of the capital and in the city outskirts are facing an acute crisis of water for the past two months now. While Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is reportedly producing 242 crore litres of water daily apparently exceeding the city’s estimated daily demand of 230 crore litres, it is not clear why nights are turning into nightmares due to a lack of water amidst these hot summer days. Due to the severe shortages, city dwellers at West Bhatara near Baridhara, Central Road and Kathalbagan areas are collecting water in queues from running pipelines in their sleepless nights as their supply taps often go dry at day times.
City residents say that no-water supply status continues for even four days or more at some areas. Some of them have to spend Tk 200 every day to collect water from a nearby WASA pump by a rickshaw van. Sometimes, getting water only after every three or four days has become a common feature in these neighbourhoods. We believe it is highly disturbing to city people who are paying all sorts of taxes but the city is depriving them of the most essential supply of water. Moreover, when the city managers are planning special water supply lines for certain posh areas why should some other low profile areas go even without the minimum level of supply.
In WASA officials view, the crisis hit some pockets of the city due to depleting groundwater levels and technical glitches in some pumps. WASA water pumps in West Bhatara usually produce around 7,800 cubic litres per minute, but recently it has come down to 6,600 cubic litres, mainly due to declining groundwater levels.
Adding more to the misery, residents in many parts of the capital complained about getting stinky water from the supply lines, which has put them in trouble including being a source of possible health hazards. The problem has hit the areas of Malibagh, Shajahanpur, Shantibagh, Shantinagar, Bashabo, Madartek, Khilgaon, Mugda and Paschim Kafrul. However, WASA said as the Shitalakkhya remains highly polluted during the dry season, the company uses additional chemicals to treat its water, which causes the smell in the supply line water.
This is indeed a very gloomy scenario. From this it appears that our indignation is selective because the problem is acute in places where poor people lives. It takes common sense only to understand that the groundwater level can’t fall down selectively in slum areas only. Furthermore, WASA must answer why there is a shortage even though it claims of producing 12 crore litres more than the daily demand for water. Water is one of the most essential of utilities upon which human life restd on. We can borrow water management technologies from countries of deserts if necessary. But, even if falling of groundwater during summer is indeed the problem, it is ridiculous to allude that there is no way of finding a solution for that. WASA must be made accountable for the immeasurable sufferings of city dwellers and the supply problems should be resolved without any procrastination at all.
