Safe water still eludes a large number of people in country

Twenty-six per cent people in urban and rural areas are out of safe water coverage in the country. It is evenly distributed between the two areas by 13 per cent each, according to sources in the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE).
 Safe water supply coverage has been reduced to 12.6 per cent in arsenic-contaminated areas. Besides, it is hard to reach char, beel and haor areas where pure water service coverage is low.
Attention should also be paid to water supply in hydro-geologically difficult areas, especially those having gravel and salinity problems, and low water-table areas. Against this backdrop, the nation is going to observe World Water Day on Wednesday (March 22).
According to DPHE sources, achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) will not be possible without ensuring supply of pure water.
“Rural water supply coverage is now 87 per cent, and it is the same in urban areas. The government has a plan to provide 100 per cent access to pure water, both in rural and urban areas, by 2030,” Golam Muktadir, executive engineer (planning) of the DPHE, told The Independent yesterday. The government has put stress on addressing arsenic issues with the highest priority by updating and scaling up area-specific arsenic mitigation technology, he said in reply to a query.
There should be an awareness campaign on the risks of arsenic. Other options, including expansion of piped supply, should be explored to reduce dependance on groundwater, he added.
He also said the impact of climate change on water supply has to be reduced by taking up mitigation and adaptation projects. Besides, international cooperation and advocacy assistance are needed in this regard, he added.
“We have to develop and scale up climate-resilient technologies as well as adaptation to the technologies through awareness campaigns to mitigate the present and future problems,” said Golam Muktadir.
Surface water sources should be increased by integrated water resource management and its environmental protestation, Muktadir noted.
According to the DPHE, the Environmental Conservation Act 1995 should be revised for taking measures to protect surface waterbodies. 
Dhaka city and Barind areas are in a critical condition in terms of groundwater table, and managed aquifer recharge systems at 300 sites should be expanded.
 To resolve all the issues, the capacity of the DPHE, WASA, City Corporations and LGIs has to be enhanced.

Safe water still eludes a large number of people in country

Twenty-six per cent people in urban and rural areas are out of safe water coverage in the country. It is evenly distributed between the two areas by 13 per cent each, according to sources in the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE). Safe water supply coverage has been reduced to 12.6 per cent in arsenic-contaminated areas. Besides, it is hard to reach char, beel and haor areas where pure water service coverage is low. Attention should also be paid to water supply in hydro-geologically difficult areas, especially those having gravel and salinity problems, and low water-table areas. Against this backdrop, the nation is going to observe World Water Day on Wednesday (March 22). According to DPHE sources, achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) will not be possible without ensuring supply of pure water. Rural water supply coverage is now 87 per cent, and it is the same in urban areas. The government has a plan to provide 100 per cent access to pure water, both in rural and urban areas, by 2030, Golam Muktadir, executive engineer (planning) of the DPHE, told The Independent yesterday. The government has put stress on addressing arsenic issues with the highest priority by updating and scaling up area-specific arsenic mitigation technology, he said in reply to a query. There should be an awareness campaign on the risks of arsenic. Other options, including expansion of piped supply, should be explored to reduce dependance on groundwater, he added. He also said the impact of climate change on water supply has to be reduced by taking up mitigation and adaptation projects. Besides, international cooperation and advocacy assistance are needed in this regard, he added. We have to develop and scale up climate-resilient technologies as well as adaptation to the technologies through awareness campaigns to mitigate the present and future problems, said Golam Muktadir. Surface water sources should be increased by integrated water resource management and its environmental protestation, Muktadir noted. According to the DPHE, the Environmental Conservation Act 1995 should be revised for taking measures to protect surface waterbodies. Dhaka city and Barind areas are in a critical condition in terms of groundwater table, and managed aquifer recharge systems at 300 sites should be expanded. To resolve all the issues, the capacity of the DPHE, WASA, City Corporations and LGIs has to be enhanced.