An alarming drop in groundwater table in Khulna has put the city at risk of water crisis that is likely to get worse in summer, according to a recent survey by Khulna Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Sources at Khulna Wasa said around 240 million litres of water is required to support the daily need of 1.6 million people living in the metropolitan city, which is entirely met by harvesting groundwater.
Of the 240 million litres, 110 million is produced by 83 tube wells installed by Wasa, and the rest is harvested by both tube wells and motorised water pumps owned by the city dwellers.
The drop in groundwater table will make it increasingly difficult to pump water up with the existing water pumps, said Md Kamal Uddin, deputy managing director of Khulna Wasa.
“Hand-driven tube wells cannot pump groundwater up if the water table drops below 26 feet. And the motor pumps do not work if the table drops below 30 feet,” he told the Dhaka Tribune recently.
The water table was between 28 feet and 30 feet in most places of the city last year due to insufficient rainfall in the region. “This year we found more places where groundwater has decreased,” Kamal said.
The situation will worsen in summer as the groundwater level is likely to drop further in many places in April.
The effects of groundwater depletion is already evident in many places around the city; several locals complained about not getting the usual amount of water from the water pumps.
“The water flow started to decrease towards the end of winter. Before, we could pump up at least 100 big containers of water via our hand-driven tube wells in three hours, but nowadays it takes two extra hours,” Tajel, a resident of Sonadanga area, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Md Selim, resident of Farazipara, said: “Before, I could fill up my water tank in two hours, but now, running the pump for even four or five hours is not enough.”
Dileep Kumar Datta, professor of environment science in Khulna University, said the crisis would get severe in a few months. “People are already facing the effects of groundwater depletion. Their sufferings will increase in summer.”
Khulna Wasa working on remedy
As the situation is likely to get worse, Khulna Wasa is already looking into other options to avert the water crisis. “We are considering alternative ways to maintain uninterrupted water supply throughout the city,” Kamal Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune.
“The water pumps will be run more than usual to keep up the water supply,” said Md Abdullah, managing director of Khulna Wasa, on Tuesday. “The hand-driven tube wells are being repaired and modernised. We are planning to install more tube wells in the affected areas.”
The Wasa water trucks will also regularly supply water in the areas that are most affected, he said.