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Category: Green Buliding

  • How to Prevent Dhaka Water War

    How to Prevent Dhaka Water War

    Fayaz Yousuf: Water is a transparent liquidthat forms the world’s streams, lakes, oceans and rain. It is vital for all known forms of life. On Earth, 96.5% of the planet’s water is found in seas and oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, a small fraction in other large water bodies, and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds and precipitation.

    Water constitutes two-thirds of the surface of the earth covering around 71 percent of the earth’s surface but only three percent is freshwater out of which 69 percent is “trapped” as ice, mainly in the two Polar Regions. The remaining freshwater occurs in rivers, lakes and aquifers which human being, plants and other animal species can use (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010).

    Water scarcity has been causing conflict since the beginning of civilizations. Kjellén and McGranahan (1997) predicted that two-thirds of the world’s population will experience water stress conditions by 2025 and some countries would experience high water stress conditions where water withdrawal against available resources exceeds 40 percent. According to Ariyabandu, the withdrawal rate against available resources is 48 percent in South Asia. Bangladesh, as being a riverine country, has been facing dual challenges from water: firstly, unlimited floodwater during the wet season and secondly, increasing scarcity during dry season.

    Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. More than 130 million people live in an area of 147 570 km2 and the population is increasing at a rate of around 1.6% annually. Dhaka is a megacity with a population of about 16 million and is growing at an annual rate of around 5%, one of the highest amongst Asian cities. According to a report, Dhaka will be the second-largest city in the world by the year 2015. The huge population puts forth massive pressure on the water supply system and causes a huge amount of deficit every year.

    Water Issues of Dhaka City

    In Bangladesh, the water supply coverage has been increasing both in the urban and rural areas since the 80’s. Almost 88 percent of water is withdrawn for irrigation, livestock while only 10 percent, and two percent use it for household and industry respectively (FAO, 2010). Nearly 97 percent of the rural population is using over 10 million hand tube wells to fulfill their drinking water demands.

    In Bangladesh, there are two sources of water

    • Surface Water Resources
    • Ground Water Resources

    2000mm of rainfall is received by Dhaka annually. Beside this, Dhaka is located close to the convolution of the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers and it is frequently flooded, often devastatingly. These three rivers constitute the world’s second biggest river system with an annual discharge 25 times that of the Nile. However, Dhaka is one of the most challenging megacities in its water management.

    The water supply and sewerage services have been allocated to one single public authority. Under the WASA Act (1996), Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) has the sole responsibility of providing water, sewerage and storm water drainage services in Dhaka. The Act provides for DWASA to manage its facilities and operate with a high degree of autonomy. It now supplies 0.51 km3 of water per year against the demand of 0.73 km3, serving around 72% of the city dwellers. The quality of the supplied water is very much in question. Almost 1000 private wells abstract another 0.35 km3 of groundwater per year, mainly for industrial purposes. Groundwater is used far beyond the sustainable rate and this groundwater mining puts a serious strain on the environment. The groundwater table has gone down 20 to 30 m in the past three decades and continues to sink 1 to 2 m per year.

    Dhaka city faces two major problems in supplying water:

    1. Gradual decrease of raw water sources and
    2. Discharge of large quantities of polluted water (Serajuddin, 1993).

    DWASA projects total water demand considering per person per day water demand as 150 liter and accordingly supplies water to the city dwellers. Total water demand in Dhaka city varies from 2100 to 2300 MLD with seasonal variation. However, total production capacity of DWASA is 2247.47 Million Liter per Day (MLD) (both groundwater and surface water).

    Apparently, DWASA is able to fulfill current water demand through their capacity. However, DWASA has never reached its production target and actual production for groundwater and surface water is 1831.20 MLD and 256.30 MLD respectively with a demand-supply gap of 160 MLD.

    There is variation of water consumption rate in different regions.To maintain daily life, a substantial amount of water is required. At least 50 l/p/d of water is considered as basic water requirement as suggested by Gleick and IWRA (1996).

    To fulfill the daily water requirement from reliable source, dependency on private sector is increasing day by day. Most of the people in Dhaka city buy filtered or bottled water though they are not well aware of the quality of this water. There is a common perception of city dweller regarding DWASA supplied water that it is full of micro-bacterial organisms and contaminated with different chemical and biological contaminant. Even though almost 87 percent of the supplied water of DWASA is retrieved from groundwater that is safe from microorganisms and heavy metal contamination, it is likely that the supplied water might be contaminated due to the leakage in pipelines and reservoirs. In reality, poor management, irregular monitoring, and inadequate supply make people rely on privately owned water supply. In addition to bottled and filtered water business, there is another business of water filtering.

    Reasons behind Insufficient Water Supply

    There are several reasons behind the insufficient supply of water in Dhaka city like

    • Scarcity of water resources,
    • Pollution of water resources,
    • Huge amount of water has been collected from ground,
    • Illegal connection of water,
    • Lack of awareness on proper usage of water

    Possible Solutions

    In this issue, many scholars have agreed that only awareness alone can do enough to change today’s devastating water crisis situation. Along with this they also have suggested the immediate implementation of

    • Starting the reuse of Grey Water (a major fraction of domestic wastewater which is about 75% (vol.) of the combined residential sewage [Eriksson, et. al., 2002])

    And

    • Staring the implementation and usage of Rainwater Harvestingin every household of Dhaka city.

    Conclusion

    At present, access to safe water is a burning question and scarcity of safe water can directly affect the long-term prospects for sustainable development. Many cataclysms can take place in near future due to the lack of safe water.

    Present water supply system in Dhaka city is heavily dependent on groundwater that signals a cloudy future with severe water crisis. Though the WASA has already started to shift its present groundwater based production system to surface water production, this require huge investment and time.

    Moreover, the status of peripheral rivers of Dhaka city is highly degraded with a major portion of it is under illegal encroachment. That is why it is highly doubtful to fulfill future demand just by relying on these sources. Considering the present crisis and future demand, it is high time to seek additional sources.

    The writer can be reach at his email: mail4fayazyousuf@doanmanhhieugmail-com

    Photo Courtesy: UNICEF

  • A $37.5 Billion project undertaken by Government on the Delta Plan

    A $37.5 Billion project undertaken by Government on the Delta Plan

    Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury: The Bangladesh Government has undertaken a project to spend 37.5 Billion USD on the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, within the year 2031. This is a part of the plan that was approved by the National Economic Council in 2018 for the protection and preservation of Bangladesh’s environment, people, and property against the harsh effects of climate change. 

    Bangladesh is the largest delta in the planet. Meaning that our country was formed after thousands of years of sediment gathering on the South-East Asian landmass, and the country is the largest landmass of such origin in the world. We have enjoyed the benefits of being a delta and our agriculture speaks volumes on that front. We have one of the most fertile soils in the world and our country has been blessed by a large number of crops and vegetation as a result.

    But as we are a delta, we are also in the direct crosshairs of the adverse effects of climate change. Bangladesh has had a bad history with climate change. In a 2017 Germanwatch Climate Change Risk index, Bangladesh was ranked sixth on the list of countries hit hardest by climate change effects from 1996-2015.  That is why Bangladesh is a part of the Paris Agreement. 

    For these reasons, Bangladesh has taken a plan to spend the previously mentioned amount of $37.5 Billion. This investment will mitigate the losses of climate change on Bangladesh as well as safeguard the population against its debilitating impact. Senior Secretary of Ministry of Planning Prof Dr Shamsul Alam has confirmed this in last year’s Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100: Implementation Challenges Conference. 

    There are many sectors which the government will focus on for this initiative. Climate change-related disasters, River security, water resources & water usage, transboundary management, and the proper use of land and water resources are some of the main sectors the investment will focus on. 

    As a rising economy, Bangladesh is expected to add another 1.5 points to the growth of the Bangladesh Economy by 2030 if this project can pull off the targets. What’s more important is that the Bangladeshi people and economy will have a fighting chance against climate change’s dark future.

    (The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])

    Image Courtesy: The Financial Express

  • DU established “Center for Climate Change Study and Resource Utilization”

    DU established “Center for Climate Change Study and Resource Utilization”

    Ashik Rahman: A new study institute titled “Center for Climate Change Study & Resource Utilization (CCCSRU)” has established at by the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Dhaka University in view of carrying out methodical and corresponding research on Climate Change matters.

    The center will be a self-determining, and non-profit research and training institute dedicated mainly to the energy, environment and climate change issues. To initiate, promote, sponsor and organize scientific study effort on the various dimensions of problems and issues pertaining to Fossil Fuels, Petroleum, Natural Gas and Coal – their rational utilization and clean and energy-efficient processing technology, CO2 discharge reduction, Climate change, and its mitigation, nano and membrane knowledge, Waste management, water and air pollution and its technology for treatment, Energy policy are the main objectives of the Center.

    Incidentally, there are fifteen members in governing body with the Vice-Chancellor of the University as Chairman, Deans of numerous faculties, Chairmen and Professors of concerning Departments as members and Director of the Center as member-secretary will govern the Center. Department of Applied Chemistry & Chemical Engineering of University professor Dr. Rafiqul Islam is the founder-director of the center.

  • Light-trap Technology to Help Farmers

    Light-trap Technology to Help Farmers

    Johirul Haque: Light-trap, an environment-friendly method to detect harmful insects is helping hundreds of farmers in different areas of the Mymensingh during this ongoing Aman season. The farmers are getting benefits from this technology and they are very enthusiastic to use it, said Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials here.

    The  DAE sources said they have taken the programme throughout the district with a view to detecting the harmful insects in the Aman fields and to use the insecticides accordingly to save the crops. The very low-cost technology is also helpful for the ecological balance, said the officials.

    In many cases, the farmers use insecticides indiscriminately without knowing about the proper insecticides to kill the harmful insects and the farmers have to cost more money, said the officials adding “indiscriminate use of pesticides also kill the useful insects, endangering the environment”.

    Around 2625 light-traps have already been set up at 525 blocks in 12 Upazilas of the district.

    Narayan Chandra Basak, Deputy Director of DAE told this correspondent that light- trap programme has been implementing in the district for last few years to help the farmers to manage pest effectively with low-cost. This year we gave more emphasis on the programme, he said.

    During September and October, the farmers face serious pest attack every year and they have to cost more money using pesticides indiscriminately for pest control, said the deputy director. He also said the farmers go for indiscriminate use of pesticides as they do not know what pesticides actually they need.

    Over 2,58,955 hectares of land were brought under Aman cultivation in the district this year. This technology has reduced use of indiscriminate pesticides to nearly 50 percent as farmers’ response to this technology, said the deputy director.

    The farmers are also learning about the harmful and useful insects through this technology and such identification is much needed for maintaining ecological balance, added the official.

    I visited the method at the field level and it has got a very positive response from the farmers’ side, said the official.

    The technology is easy to handle, so the farmers can carry it from one field to another round the season according to their need, sources said.

    The DAE sources said they set up the light-traps at night using traditional lights, charger light or electric bulbs and a pot with detergent or kerosene mixed clear water and the pot is put under the lights to draw the insects. The insects fall into the water kept in the pot and thus the existence of harmful and beneficial insects in the field is identified, said sources.

    Sources also informed that if the existence of harmful insects is found, agricultural experts render necessary advice to the farmers.

    Contacted, Mahbubul Alam, Muktagacha Upazila Agriculture officer said, no harmful insects have been detected in the Upazila so far. He observed that light- trap technology is saving the Aman filed from harmful insects and helping the farmers to learn about an environment-friendly technology as well.

    He also said this programme has been implementing in  45 blocks in 10 unions of the Upazila. This technology would make a positive impact in the field of agriculture benefiting farmers, hoped the official.

    Hazrat Ali, a farmer of village Kandinau of Kumargata union in Muktagacha said, he was acquainted with the technology for the first time this year and he attained knowledge for operating the technology to detect harmful insects.

    This technology will encourage the farmers and it will boost Aman production, hoped Hazrat Ali. The light-trap method has inspired hundreds of farmers of the district in the last couple of years and many farmers have been successfully using the nature-friendly technology to detect the harmful and beneficial insects, needed to reap a good harvest, said Mohammad Abdul Hannan, Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer.

    The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at E-mail: [email protected]