Water Supply Engineering

and Bangladesh
Water Supply
• Why Water Supply system?
• Provide potable water to ensure public
health
• Supply water in adequate quantity and
pressure
• Make water accessible to the users
Water uses
• Domestic
• Agricultural
• Industrial
• Commercial
• Fire Fighting
Water Supply System

Transportation
Intake Pump

Collection System Treatment

Source of supply
Distribution System

Elements of Water Supply system based on surface water source

 Design Considerations of Water Supply System

• Present and future Population

• Water demand
• Quality of water
• Design period
• Selecting sources, traditional sources are preferable
• Location/ Siting of treatment plant, intake
• Optimization through alternative plans and cost benefit
analysis
• Construction, operation and maintenance preferably by
local technical staff
 Design Considerations of Water Supply System
• Mechanization/ instrumentation/ automation.
Equipment should be hardy, reliable and preferably
available locally
• Construction, operation cost should be minimum
• Use of pumping and chemicals should be minimum
• System should be planned together with the community
to adapt local condition, needs and preferences and to
use local skill and knowledge
• Incorporate the views of women to understand their
needs and involve them in local management
• System should be sustainable regarding the planning,
design and pricing of water supply
World Water Scenario
World Water Map
 Some Facts
• 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed
drinking water services
• An estimated 1.8 billion people use an unimproved
source of drinking water with no protection against
contamination from human faeces.
• People at risk from floods is projected to rise from
1.2 billion today to around 1.6 billion in 2050 –
nearly 20% of the world’s population.
• Around 64 -71% of natural wetlands have been lost
since 1900 as a result of human activity.
 Water Supply Scenario in Bangladesh:
Is Bangladesh a Water Scarce Country?

• Around 700 rivers in

Bangladesh
• Annual Average Rainfall
approx. 2500 mm
• Groundwater available
within a depth of 1.0 m
– 60.0 m
Water Supply Coverage: 1990 - 2015
Present Status of WS in Rural Bangladesh
 Rural water supply coverage is 87%
 More than 99% by point source (primarily
tubewells)
 Remaining <1% is piped supply

 Over 10 million tube wells form the

backbone of water supply in the country.
 Around 1.329 million safe public water points; one
public water point serves about 89 persons
Predominant water source: Groundwater

Ref: Joint Monitoring Program 2015 (UNICEF-WHO) and DPHE 2016

 Present Status of WS in Urban Areas
 Urban water supply coverage is 87%
• Piped Water Supply is 32% (apart from some major
cities, piped WS available in 136 Paurashavas out of
310)
• Point Source Water Supply is 55% (mainly
tubewells). DWASA has 661 Deep TWs and
more than 2000 private TWs
• Predominant water source: Groundwater
• Piped water supply based on Surface Water treatment
gradually increasing in response to lowering of
groundwater table, and As contamination of groundwater
Ref: Joint Monitoring Program 2015 (UNICEF-WHO)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
 SDG Goal – 6
Bangladesh Perspective
 Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all

Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and

equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water
for all.

Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and

equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open
defecation, paying special attention to the needs of
women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
 Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all
Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing
pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release
of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the
proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially
increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use

efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable
withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address
water scarcity and substantially reduce the number
of people suffering from water scarcity.
 Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all
Target 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water
resources management (IWRM) at all levels, including
through trans-boundary cooperation as appropriate.

Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related

ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands,
rivers, aquifers and lakes.
Target 6.1: By 2030, Achieve Universal and Equitable
Access to Safe and Affordable Drinking Water for All
• Here “Safe” implies - drinking water that is free
from pathogens and elevated levels of toxic
chemicals at all times.

• “Equitable” implies progressive reduction and

elimination of inequalities between
population sub-groups.

• “Affordable” implies payment for services does not

present a barrier to access or prevent people
meeting other basic human needs.
Types of Services

“Safely Managed Water”: Drinking water from an improved

source which is located on premises, available when needed
and free of fecal and priority contamination (SDG Target).

Basic service: Drinking water from an improved source

provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a
round trip including queuing (MDG target)

Limited Service: Drinking water from improved sources which

require over 30 minutes for a roundtrip including queuing

Unimproved Service: Drinking water from unprotected sources

No Service: Drinking water from river, canal, lake, pond or

irrigation canals
 Why is it a Concern?
• Climate change and weather
variability (flood, cyclone,
draughts etc.)
• Salinity intrusion
• Increasing demand
• Depletion of Groundwater
resource
• Declining flow in many rivers
• Rapid urbanization
• Pollution of water sources
• Water quality
• Hard to reach areas
Some Specific Challenges in Achieving SDG Water Target 6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access
to safe and affordable drinking water for all

• Widespread pollution of surface water.

• Arsenic contamination of groundwater.
• Reemergence of microbial contamination in
tubewell water
• Salinity in the coastal belt
• Issue of Equity
 Emergence of “Arsenic (As)” problem
• Arsenic detection in GW of Bangladesh in1993 was a
devastating blow to the water sector.
• WS coverage dropped to 74% from 97% due to
discovery of presence of arsenic (DPHE 2010-11)
• Currently, about 12.4 per cent of the population are
exposed to As conc. exceeding Bangladesh
Standard of 50 ppb; 24.8% are exposed above WHO
guideline value of 10 ppb.
• Arsenic is still the most significant obstacle that
is preventing us from increasing “safe water
coverage”.
Reemergence of “microbial contamination” – this
time in groundwater ?
• Recent studies are indicating microbial contamination of
tubewell water (i.e., groundwater)
• A study by van Geen (2011) reported some striking observations:
– Fecal contamination of shallow tubewells [in Matlab and
Araihazar] has been found to be inversely related to arsenic.
– In other words, STWs with low levels of As are likely to be
more prone to higher level of fecal contamination.
• The tube well technology considered to be the backbone of
safe water supply in the country may face challenges unless
extensive researches are undertaken to find out mitigation
measures.
 Salinity Challenges in the Coastal Belt
• Rainwater and pond-water (non-saline) are still
the major sources of drinking water.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) units have been installed
by DPHE and some NGOs.
• High installation cost; requires electricity and
O&M by trained staff.
• While it appears to be a potential technology,
cost remains as an important issue.
• Solar desalination units (household/smaller
scale) have also been installed.
Solar Desalination Plant (Mongla)

Dr. Md. Mujibur Rahman

Water Gaps: Bangladesh
• Rapid and uneven urbanization result in growth of informal
settlements; inter-city and intra-city gaps in water supply
coverage;
• Currently 35% of city population live in slums in only 4% of land
area; hygienic sanitation coverage in slums is low.
• Piped water coverage in Dhaka 85%, in Chittagong 41%, in
Khulna 45% and in 102 municipal towns 40%
• Supply hour varies from 12 in Chittagong, Khulna to about 22
hours in Dhaka; much less during dry period
• Wide gap in consumption pattern, from about 20 liters per
capita-day in low income slums to about 400 liters per capita-
day in high income areas
Water Gaps: Bangladesh
• Fixed water rate results in wasteful use of water particularly
in middle and high income areas
• Poor slum dwellers without piped water service pay more
for water
• Almost 90% of water supply comes from ground water
source; Dhaka continues to withdraw GW for its 78% of
supply; nearby surface water sources are have become
extremely polluted.

• Going “deeper and too far” is not a sustainable solution

approach
Progress of SDG Goal 6 (Reference: GED, 2018)
• Indicator 6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed
drinking water services
Progress of SDG Goal 6
• 6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated
• Bangladesh has laws in place for safe disposal of wastewater since the formulation of
Environmental Rules in 1997. But many industries do not have waste water treatment
facilities to comply with the set standards under these rules. Among the urban areas,
only Dhaka city has wastewater treatment facility which serves only 20% of the city.
• Relocation of tanneries from Hazaribag, Dhaka

• 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of

available freshwater resources
• Bangladesh is endowed with rich water resources. Annual cross-border river flows that
also enter groundwater are estimated at 1105.64 km3 and represent over 90 percent of
total renewable water resources
• According to GED (2015) the proportion of total water resources used in Bangladesh was
2.9% in 2010. About 28.48 km3 or 79% of total water withdrawal comes from
groundwater and 7.39 km3 or 21%, from surface water.
Progress of SDG Goal 6
• 6.5.2 Proportion of trans boundary basin area with an operational
arrangementfor water cooperation
• Bangladesh has 57 trans-boundary rivers. It shares 54 rivers with India and 3 rivers
with Myanmar. Among these rivers, it has treaty for Ganges River which was signed
in 1996 and effective till 2027. According to this treaty, the quantum of waters
agreed to be released by India to Bangladesh will be at Farakka on the basis of an
agreed upon formula for ten day periods from the 1st January to the 31st May every
year. A joint committee was formed to monitor flow below Farakka point and is
responsible for implementing the arrangements contained in this Treaty. Any
difference or dispute arising in this regard, if not resolved by the Joint Committee,
shall be referred to the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission.
• Guided by the principles of equity, fairness and no harm to either party, both the
Governments agreed to conclude water sharing Treaties/Agreements with regard to
other common rivers.
Progress of SDG Goal 6
• 6.6.1 Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over
time
• Halda river restoration project
• Various decisions have been taken and implemented such as
stopping sand lifting from the river, plying of mechanized boats,
lowering the rubber dams, ban on fishing in a river stretch to save
the broodfish and raising the local’s awareness. Asa result of such
steps, this year (2018) has been a record year for fish egg
collection in Halda.
 Action Plans
By 2030
• Use of surface water sources from 5% to 40% by 2030
• Installation of managed aquifer recharge 100 to 300
• Pond excavation and re-excavation 100 to 4100
• Development of WASH blocks at School