Addressing the constraints of water resources
Bangladesh often suffers from acute seasonal water scarcity due to shortage of supply and deteriorating quality caused by pollution
SHISHIR REZA
Water is not only a development product for industry and agriculture but also it supports ecosystem, biodiversity, economic growth, community well being and in cultural values. The 70 per cent of earth surface is surrounded by lakes, rivers, ice caps, ponds, seas, glaciers water or others body of liquid. The total amount of water is more than 370 trillion gallon. Surface water is a fresh water which is found in streams, lakes, river, reservoir, and wet land. These surfaces are replenished by the run of precipitation from the lands and considered as renewable. Water a renewable resource, dissolves nutrients and transfers them to cell, regulates global temperature, supports structure and removes waste products. Natural stores of water in hydrological cycle are oceans 97.41 per cent, ice caps and glaciers 1.9 per cent, ground water 0.5 per cent, soil moisture 0.01, lakes and river 0.009 per cent and atmosphere 0.0001 per cent.
In this planet, 97.5 per cent water is saline where only 0.03 per cent is pure to drink. Climate change, sea-level rising and global warming is changing the total global picture and it is true that third world countries are unable to face these emergency rather than first world countries.
During the dry season in Bangladesh, north-Bengal becomes an arid somewhere it is tough to access pure water rather it is a matter of struggle. The people of this region in particular women bring water for the use of household and livestock purposes from long distance. It is also a common figure in India and Pakistan rural people bring water from long distance where deep water reservoirs are available. In Arabian region Saudi-Arabia, Kuwait, UAE has been erected desalination plant which provides pure water and meets the demand of people.
The main causes of water losses around the world in particular the testing of nuclear and chemical weapons. In Japan, due to Fukushima nuclear test, the soil, water, environment, air of different regions has fallen into crisis although they are capable enough to combat this crisis. But the figure of third world countries is not so typical. The leading companies like SUEZ, VEOLIA VIVENDI, and RWE are involved in water business. Regarding the climate change, peace-keeping operation and food or water crisis in third world countries, they have extended their hand to make the water sector from public to commercial goods. Similarly, the people of urbanized countries are also victim by corporate grabbers of national and international companies. During 1980-1985, World Bank, IMF, WTO had given them power to dominate the policy formation and implementation through official assistance, budget, loan, aid or technical assistance. A syndicate was created with international companies to dominate the water sector without considering the project implemented zone, impact assessment, peoples health and environment. In Casablanca, crucial conditions were created within water sector through national and international rent-seekers. The people of Africa were affected much through water catastrophe. They were deprived to access water rather they were fall to a trap to buy water bottle for domestic purposes and it is an un-resolved issue yet. Apart from that, the people of Newzealand were also getting together and create a movement against the water syndicate. On the whole, competition, crisis and natural disaster are a lucrative period for local and international rent-seekers. Bangladesh is not out of the game of corporatocracy. Encroachment of land, khas-land, river, pond, lake, and wetland is a common figure in Bangladesh.
Although she is known as water abundant country but sometimes suffer from acute seasonal scarcity due to shortage of supply and deteriorating quality due to pollution which may threaten water security. Much of scarcity of resources is because of inefficient and inequitable way the resource being governed, high level of wastage in supply lines, low quality and toxicity due to pollution, arsenic and salinity in parts of the country. From one side, our water body is being polluted by agricultural pollutants, industrial effluents, different rivers are losing their life, climate change affects the water table, policy is failing to manage this public goods; on the other side, corporate elites are trying to use this gap as their interlude of profit. Nowadays, local, national and international companies are doing their water business in our country. After all, quality and access of pure water is lessening day by day due to the rapidly growing population; industrial contamination; slumization; improper use of agricultural synthetic chemicals and pesticides; indiscriminate disposal of municipal wastes, poorly designed flood control and water supply systems, drainage and irrigation works, lack of adequate regulatory measures and institutional setup for proper monitoring and control.
Asian water development outlook, 2016 mentions; 80 per cent wastes are dumping into river in Bangladesh. Water security index indicates Bangladesh is 44th out of 48 countries. Around 250 industries are discharging chemical pollutants into Buriganga and Sitalakka River. Every day four thousand tons solid waste 22 thousand tons tannery waste mixes with water in Buriganga River. Different industries and their contribution to pollution in Dhaka are: Pulp paper - 47.4 per cent; pharmaceuticals - 15.9 per cent; Metals - 14 per cent; Food industry - 12.1 per cent; Fertilizers/pesticides - 6.6 per cent.
In urban areas, the groundwater laced with harmful chemicals may then be supplied to urban dwellers who are unknowingly exposed to health hazards. Sewages are discharging directly into the rivers and low-lying part around the urban areas. In Dhaka, 20 canals have lost her life out of 43. Heavy metals copper, iron, lead, nickel is distressing the BOD, COD, DO, TDS, PH of water. Different projects were taken to recovery the present situation of canal and pond in Dhaka city. Such as, dredging Buriganga River by WASA, dig the daleshawri, pungli-Bangshi and bring water through Jamuna to meet the demand of Buriganga River. But the projects could not see the light of a day.
Eutrophication and bacterial content in lakes and rivers are also high. This is a threat to the health of urban dwellers as river water is also supplied by the Water Supply Sewerage Authority for drinking and other purposes. This is happening in all cities of Bangladesh. Reduction of river water flow due to siltation is increasing salinity at coastal areas. Unplanned shrimp farming creates more salinity affecting the agricultural land and water quality particularly in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts.
The Government of Bangladesh, in its Action Plan for Poverty Reduction, has clearly stated that to ensure 100 per cent access to pure drinking water across the country. But the practical scenario is different where the people are affected by large amount of water impurities. 20 million people are suffering from Arsenicosis, keratosis, melanosis, and karato-melanosis (diseases of poor). That means 12.5 per cent of our total population. 43 thousand people are dying every year owing to consumption of impure water.
It is contradictory compare to our national laws and policies. Water pollution control ordinance was promulgated in 1973, environmental pollution control ordinance was promulgated in 1977 and in 1985, department of pollution control ordinance was recognized. According to the water policy 1998, environmentally sound water management is suggested in utilization and development of water resources, construction of irrigation networks and embankments, dredging of water courses and in taking measures against river pollution. Environmental impact assessment is required before undertaking projects related to water resources development and flood control measures. The current scenario is not clear as people are deprived to access germ-free water. The right to flow of rivers is affected. It meets the effective demand for criminalization of not only politics but also economics. Consequently, it is a truth-seeking deficiency of a state.
The human rights challenge of provisioning of germ-free water in Bangladesh is a challenge from the viewpoints of both constitutional and justifiable rights. From that standpoint, heavy metal-free water for the citizens should view as public goods. But there are some financial, technical and social constraints. Govt. should overcome the financial constraints through effective water budget, providing incentives for raising water use efficiency, rights to water through abstraction charges, power sharing strategy among administrative actors, policy formation and implementation strategy etc. It is important to resolve all technical constraints to accelerate the filtering process of heavy metals (nickel, lead, chromium, arsenic, cadmium) from impure water, emphasize surface water for irrigation and industry, engineering process of water supply and distribution, raising supply efficiency by having buried and plastic pipes in case of ground water, effluent treatment plant (liquid wastes, hard materials), sanitation, immunization and maternal health related issues. Similarly we have to address the social constraints (cropping pattern and diversification, patriarchy, climate, geographic variability, vulnerability and occupational structure) through communities knowledge attitude practice towards life and livelihood and shape the all actions as mass-people oriented action through public participation and power decentralization to protect water bodies.
The writer is an environment analyst
