Water management in Dhaka

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, has become a megacity with a population of nearly 12.5 million, which is increasing at an annual rate of oiler 5%. Industrial, domestic and commercial wastes are polluting surface water, and groundwater in certain areas of the city also shows signs of both organic and inorganic contamination. Laws to prevent environmental pollution are rarely enforced. Overall service delivery is considered to be poor due to an inadequate tariff structure, high non-revenue water, lack of authority and commitment, inadequate management capacity, lack of sector coordination, inadequate investment, absence of effective decentralization, etc. The situation can be improved by higher investment, effective private sector participation, improved billing and revenue collection, structural reforms, establishing a regulatory body and finally converting Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority into a truly service oriented commercial organization. If steps are not taken immediately to improve performance of DWASA, the millennium development goals of reducing the population without access to water supply and sanitation services by 50% by the year 2015 will not be achieved.