Water as Leverage- Setting the scene for a call for action

Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia Setting the Scene for a Call for Action Content
2.2.4
Water Supply under Threat
Although located in a water-rich delta,
only 64% of Khulna’s population
has access to potable water, with
many relying on public tube pumps.
Although there are initiatives that aim
to improve the water supply system,
salinization poses a serious threat to
the future supply of water. The lack
of fresh water also threatens food
production as salt intrusion decreases
the productivity of the land. Areas that
are flooded by salt water (from the
sea or from broken embankments of
shrimp farms) lose their agricultural
value, especially if means are lacking
to drain the area and irrigate it with
fresh water. The loss of productive
land is probably one of the main
reasons for climate refugees to leave
their homes.
twenty kilometers east of Khulna, has been
installed in order to harvest water from the
rivers. The water from the reservoir is then
processed at a surface water treatment plant
and distributed in the city through a system of
smaller distribution stations. More centralized
water supply solutions are under construction.
The local water supply authority KWASA is
constructing a water production plant, using
fresh river water from upstream. A series of
overhead tanks and distribution reservoirs
Fresh water
intake (new)
store and distribute the fresh water throughout
Khulna. A large storage basin contains enough
raw water for two weeks in case the river
water is too salty in dry times. In rural areas,
the focus is on making better use of rainwater
(especially for irrigation) and on small reversedosmosis
plants (drinking water ATMs), where
people can buy five liters of fresh water.
However, this does not resolve the issue that
large areas of southwestern Bangladesh have
become uninhabitable due to salinization.
Saline Drinking Water Shallow
wells and surface water are the main water
sources of Khulna’s inhabitants. Up to
twenty years ago, this was sufficient. But
although located in a water-rich river delta,
only 64% of Khulna’s population has access
to potable water today. Eighteen percent of
the population has access to water through
the water network, while almost the entire
remainder relies on tube wells (either private or
public).
Today, the shallow aquifer is salinizing and
the water level drops during the dry season,
leaving shallow wells empty. Salinity is one
of the main issues affecting the water supply,
caused by sea level rise, land subsidence
and a handful of external factors like shrimp
farming. The relatively small Gorai river, a
distributary river of the Ganges, is the only
significant source of fresh water. Unable to
push back tidal sea water, salt water intrudes
up to 160 kilometres land-inward, causing a
shortage of surface water that is suitable for
consumption in households and agriculture.
Salt-water intrusion is further increased as
a result of dams and water consumption
upstream, which reduce the flow of the Ganges
in the dryer seasons. Throughout the year,
salinity increases in the dry season (February–
May) and drops sharply in June.
A very small portion of the population uses rain
collection systems, canals, rivers and ponds to
obtain drinking water (Gunatilake, 2012; Islam
& Ali, 2015). Recently, the Mollarhat reservoir,
Bottling facility
Overhead
tanks
Impounding
reservoir
Although located in a
water-rich river delta,
only 64% of Khulna’s
population has access to
potable water, with many
relying on public tube
pumps.
208 KHULNA
Water Issues
PART 2/Background Information on the Partner Cities
209
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