Desk Report,
When the tap doesn’t come out: The horror of Bangladesh’s future water crisis
Imagine a day, you wake up, go to wash your face, turn on the tap, but there is no water. You wait for half an hour, but still there is no water. Your mother is standing in the kitchen; she is unable to wash rice, let alone make tea in the morning. What if such a day happens every day? Many may think that this happens in countries like Sahara in Africa. But the reality is that this terrible water uncertainty is also rapidly approaching our Bangladesh. The water that we are getting now in various parts of the country, including Dhaka, may no longer be readily available in 10-15 years. Dhaka, a city devastated by groundwater, currently has about 20 million people living in it, and its daily water requirement is 2.6 billion liters. Dhaka WASA supplies 75-80 percent of its water from groundwater (DWASA, 2023). But every year this groundwater level is dropping by 2-3 meters (6.5-10 feet) (BADC, 2022).
When the tap doesn’t come out: The horror of Bangladesh’s future water crisis
According to experts, the water table, which was only 20 to 30 feet below the surface 30 years ago, has now dropped below 200 feet. In some areas like Uttara and Mirpur, water is not even found at a depth of 300 feet. One of the reasons for this is the higher rate of water extraction compared to the annual recharge rate and the reduction of open fields and wetlands in the city. More than 70 percent of the area of Dhaka city is concrete and asphalt, due to which rainwater cannot go underground (RAJUK, 2021). On the one hand, drought, on the other hand, salinity In the Barendra region of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon, the water table has dropped so low that farmers are in panic when the month of Baishakh arrives. Sometimes, even after opening deep tube wells, water does not rise. The soil in these areas is dry and rocky, so rainwater does not hold much. In many places, the groundwater level in the Barendra region has gone below 350 feet (BMDA, 2022). On the other hand, the coastal areas of Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat do have groundwater, but most of it is saline.
According to a World Bank study, salinity in 65 percent of deep tube wells in Khulna and Satkhira districts is higher than acceptable levels (World Bank, 2021). If you want, try washing plant seedlings with that water, and they will die. When water like betel becomes poisonous, you understand how vengeful nature can be. Drought and flood invasion in the water kingdom Bangladesh’s water problem is no longer just a seasonal crisis, it is a terrible response to climate change. According to the Meteorological Department, the duration of the monsoon is decreasing but more rainfall is increasing in short periods. On the other hand, the drought period is getting longer, which is disrupting the recharge of groundwater (BMD, 2022). In this cycle of more rain in a short period and longer droughts, the normal flow of our rivers, canals and beels is being disrupted. In addition, more than 20,000 small and large water bodies and canals are being filled every year (DoE, 2020). When rivers and soil cannot hold water, people will no longer be able to sustain themselves.
