Given the severity of the recent heatwaves and frequent load shedding, the fact that half of Dhaka is facing a severe water crisis on top of these problems only adds to the suffering of citizens.
Several prominent zones in the capital such as Nilkhet and Azimpur, Karwan Bazar, Moghbazar, are currently in the midst of a severe water crisis. While the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) blames this issue on blackouts hampering their ability to produce water, historically speaking, gaps in the water supply has been a recurrent issue that has plagued the lives of Dhaka dwellers even when the electricity supply was stable.
This is further corroborated by the reports of obsolete water pumps and other such weaknesses in the overall water supply infrastructure that is managed by WASA. While WASA has tried to mitigate this issue through temporary arrangements like the use of water trucks, these are nothing but makeshift solutions, something that is especially inapplicable for those without the financial means to afford it. Even then, such solutions have failed to provide a steady supply of water.
Under normal circumstances, such failure would be unacceptable. Keeping in mind the current heatwave, however, such incompetence has the potential to become fatal.
Our administrative bodies need to find solutions instead of dismissing the problems. They need to properly assess their infrastructure and organizational capabilities to figure out what went wrong, and how they can do better. Allegations of infrastructural inadequacy have to be investigated when they crop up. To mitigate future shocks, modern techniques such as simulated projection can be utilized and plans have to be drawn up for the long term so that such disasters never happen.