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
Khulna
Developing com prehen
sive local projects
within the larger scope
of a national plan
In combination with alleviating
pover ty and prioritizing better educa
tion, Khulna’s local govern ment
aspires to improve its strategic
infrastructure, increase international
dynamics, create more employment
opportunities and enhance the
regional urban-rural integration.
Improving water, road and airbased
infrastructure seems to be an
important precondition for realizing
Khulna’s prospects, especially since
the city’s strategic position by the
river is expected to lead to further
economic growth, particularly in the
trading sector. In this respect, the
city’s connection with the country’s
second-largest port, Mongla, could
be of particular importance in terms
of competitiveness.
The water system in Khulna is in the
early stages of development. The
Mollarhat reservoir, 20 kilometers
east of Khulna, has been installed
in order to harvest water from the
rivers, which is then processed
through a surface water treatment
plant, a series of overhead tanks
and a system of smaller distribution
stations to provide the city with
drinking water. In accordance with
Khulna’s ambition to improve public
utilities and services, the city’s
water supply and drainage system
has expanded over the last few
years and is predicted to expand
further through the initiatives of
KWASA (Khulna Water Supply and
Sewage Authority) and the Asian
Development Bank.
Various local initiatives are being
developed, such as formal and
informal pipe systems, local
‘embankments’, and a river park.
At the national level, Khulna is
part of the Bangladesh Delta Plan
2100. The Delta Plan 2100 allows
the Bangladesh government to
integrate short-term, medium-term
and long-term planning at a scale
that considers the delta as a whole
and takes into account the effect of
delta management in all sectors, with
the aim of empowering Bangladesh
through the optimal and efficient use
of limited resources.
However, the few existing qualitative
projects remain often too fragmented
or isolated to consolidate into an
overarching urban development plan
and, altogether, they do not succeed
in benefiting form the dynamics of
the Delta Plan initiative. In relation
to this, Water as Leverage aims to
contribute in developing local or
even regional strategies and projects
that match with the ambitions of the
Delta Plan.
Urban Area
Water System
Existing Plan
Comprehensive Projects
Isolated Projects
New Holistic Urban Plan
Call for Action
Urban Area
Water System
Existing Plan
Comprehensive Projects
Isolated Projects
New Holistic Urban Plan
88 Call for Action
PART 1 / From Global Water Issues to a Call for Action
89