First appeared in
Asian Development Bank
100 Climate Actions from Cities in Asia and the Pacific
By improving the provision and reliability of Dhaka’s water supply, the city also hopes to become more climate resilient.
By improving the provision and reliability of Dhaka’s water supply, the city also hopes to become more climate resilient.
Providing sufficient drinking water is a challenge for the city of Dhaka, with 13.5 million residents and still growing at 3.6% annually. Climate change is expected to exacerbate threats to the city’s vulnerable water supply, with altered precipitation patterns, higher temperatures, sea level rise and salinization, and increased pollution from flooding all contributing to a decline in availability. These threats, combined with the fact that more than 6.5 million people still lack dependable access to clean water, has necessitated the city take urgent action.
Under the initiative, district metered areas will be expanded, more than 1,500 kilometers of water distribution networks will be rehabilitated, and new technologies such as automated meter reading and a water quality monitoring system will be installed, effectively reducing non-revenue water loss.
16%
REDUCTION IN SYSTEM WATER LOSS
REDUCTION IN SYSTEM WATER LOSS
The construction of 47,000 new and legalized connections will also provide water at a lower cost for low-income communities and help Bangladesh’s largest city adapt to water uncertainties in a future under climate change.
The project is assisted by a $275 million loan from ADB.
The project will build on previous efforts to improve piped water supply and reduce physical water losses in Dhaka (photo by Md. Arifur Rahman).
The Challenge
Access to clean water is a challenge for residents, who are often forced to rely on unreliable and expensive illegal water lines and private vendors.
Co-Benefits
Health The provision of a safe and reliable water supply will reduce water-related health risks, especially among children.
Economic Piped water and metered connections will reduce the cost of water, with consumers no longer needing to pay high rates or water purification costs.