Integrated water resource management for mega city: a case study of Dhaka city, Bangladesh / Zintegrowane zarządzanie zasobami wodnymi dużych miast: przykład miasta Dakka w Bangladeszu.

Hossain, Nasir; Bahauddin, Khalid Md.

Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh is facing a serious water scarcity problem due to the big gap between demand and supply of water system. When accelerating water scarcities and pollution in and around urban centers are superimposed on issues like continuing urbanization, lack of investment funds for constructing and maintaining water infrastructures, high public debts, inefficient resources allocation processes, inadequate management capacities, poor governance, inappropriate institutional frameworks and inadequate legal and regulatory regimes, water management in the megacities poses a daunting task in the future. To overcome these water related problems, water can be a designing element for structuring future development with the combination of sustainable approaches for social and physical transformation, open up opportunities for water management system. Therefore an integrated approach like integrated water resource management (IWRM) system is required that responds to problems that are all interrelated. Alternate supply and demand management tools such as ground water recharge, rainwater harvesting, effective water pricing, reclaimed water use are suggested to meet the deficit of current supply system through the efficient use of the scarce resources available. Institutional reform and improved water planning are required to facilitate economic growth and social development. Finally, human resource development is identified as key factor for the sustainable effective management of this valuable resource.

DHAKA (Bangladesh); WATER supply; WATER shortages; URBANIZATION; PUBLIC debts; ECONOMIC development

Journal of Water & Land Development, 2013, Vol 19, Issue 1, p39

1429-7426

Academic Journal

10.2478/jwld-2013-0014