Around half of the areas of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is experiencing a severe water crisis due to the inability of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to supply water according to the demand due to frequent loadshedding, adding to its residents' woes.
Even with temporary arrangements like water supply via trucks and running pumps with generators, Wasa is unable to resolve the water crisis.
Wasa officials said the solution to this problem will not be found unless the current issues are acknowledged and addressed, rather than boasting about capabilities on paper.
According to Wasa sources, water supply has dropped significantly compared to the demand in Nilkhet and Azimpur of MODS Zone 3, Mohakhali, Karwan Bazar and Tejgaon of MODS Zone 5, Fakirapool, Moghbazar, Rampura and Banasree in MODS Zone 6, Nikunja, Khilkhet and Uttara Model Town in MODS Zone 9, and Mirpur 1 in MODS Zone 10.
Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan acknowledged the water supply problems in several zones due to loadshedding at a press conference on Thursday, where he advised the residents of the capital to use less water than usual to overcome the crisis.
No water for a single hour
Residents of Bottola, an area in Azimpur, have not had running water for a single, continuous hour in the past few days.
In Moghbazar's Modhubag area, the water crisis has been ongoing for the past two weeks.
In addition to this, there is a persistent water shortage throughout the day in areas like Banasree, Kalabagan, Paribagh, Shahjadpur, Khilgaon, and indeed across the entire capital.
Residents say even after complaining several times to the regional offices of Wasa, no action has been taken. Even the promise of water supply via Wasa trucks is not being fulfilled.
Ashraf Ali Jewel, a resident of the Sipahibag area of Khilgaon, said they have not had water supply for a week.
“We are not getting any solution despite complaining. We are forced to buy water from the Wasa vehicle every day, and even that is not always available,” he lamented.
Anjum Ara, a student residing in a hostel in the Moghbazar area, said the water crisis has been ongoing for the past few days.
“We rarely get water in the morning, so we have to wait until the afternoon to take a shower,” she shared.
Wasa blames loadshedding
Wasa claimed that its production capacity is higher than what the demand is – it can produce 2.6 billion litres of water every day against a demand of 2.1-2.4 billion litres.
It argued that recent heatwaves have spiked the demand for water, creating a supply crunch.
Wasa chief Taqsem A Khan, at the press conference on Thursday, revealed that frequent power outages are disrupting the production of 400-500 million litres of water daily.
He assured everyone that there is no problem with Wasa's water production equipment or machinery. He attributed the lack of water supply in various areas solely to loadshedding.
Despite these challenges, 48 water supply vehicles and generators are being used to support the pumps so that Dhaka dwellers get uninterrupted water supply, he mentioned.
What is the main reason, actually?
Questions have been raised about why there is a water crisis when Wasa's production capacity is higher than the demand.
A Wasa board member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that in the past week, out of Wasa's 914 pumps, 158 pumps without generators have stayed shut for 275 hours due to power outages.
The board member also mentioned that pumps in various MODS zones are now obsolete and have not been repaired for a long time.
“Hearing about Wasa's capabilities will not fulfil people's needs. It would be appropriate for the Wasa MD to acknowledge the technical problems and work on their solutions. Otherwise, even if the problem of loadshedding is resolved, the water crisis will not be mitigated,” he added.