The rivers of Dhaka, Bangladesh, suffer high levels of pollution from untreated sewage and industrial effluent. To address this, over the next 20 years, the government is planning to install 12 large Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) across the Dhaka River System. This paper applies a water quality model to assess the efficacy of this planned investment. The model suggests that the STPs will improve water quality in the most densely populated areas of the city along the Turag and Buriganga rivers, and in some other parts of the city (Tongi Khal). However, future upgrades will be needed to improve dissolved oxygen levels more widely, due to predicted population growth. Policies to reduce industrial pollution should also be pursued.
Bangladesh
Story of Change: Fit-for-purpose labs for monitoring and managing rural water supplies
In Nepal, Kenya and Bangladesh, researchers working with practitioners and local governments have established fit-for-purpose (FFP) laboratories to support reliable water quality monitoring and operational management of rural water systems
Hydrogeologic Constraints for Drinking Water Security in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh: Implications for Sustainable Development Goal 6.1
This article analyzes drinking water security in southwest coastal Bangladesh, through an in-depth field investigation. It reveals that the exponential growth of groundwater-based technologies, such as tube wells, does not necessarily indicate the actual safe drinking water coverage in coastal areas, due to complex hydrogeology with the high spatial variability of groundwater salinity risks.
High-resolution synthetic population mapping for quantifying disparities in disaster impacts: An application in the Bangladesh Coastal Zone
In this study, the authors demonstrate how combining various modelling techniques could provide novel insights into the exposure of poor and vulnerable groups, which could help inform the emergency response after extreme events as well targeting adaptation options to those most in need of them.
When Water Quality Crises Drive Change: A Comparative Analysis of the Policy Processes Behind Major Water Contamination Events
This study explores the delayed policy response to the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh through comparison with water contamination crises in other contexts (incl. included Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter in Walkerton, Canada; lead and Legionella in Flint, Michigan, USA; and chromium-6 contamination in Hinkley, California, USA).
The SafePani model: Delivering safe drinking water in schools and healthcare centres in Bangladesh
This Story of Change presents the SafePani model in Bangladesh which aims to reform existing institutional design and move towards a professional water service delivery model, with timely and independently verified performance metrics unlocking results-based funding, with a focus on schools and healthcare centres.
SafePani: Improving drinking water safety for schools and healthcare centres in Khulna district, Bangladesh
The SafePani model uses a professional water service provider operating with a Water Safety Plan (WSP) approach to improve drinking water safety in schools and healthcare centres in Khulna district, Bangladesh. This brief sets out how the WSP approach is incorporated in the SafePani model.
Cost estimates for safe drinking water in schools and healthcare centres in Khulna District, Bangladesh
This brief provides an estimation of the annual costs of professional water services for 1,700 primary and secondary schools and 300 healthcare centres1 in Bangladesh’s Khulna district, based on observed data from a pilot in 171 schools and 33 healthcare centres in eight unions.
Costs and benefits of improving water and sanitation in slums and non-slum neighborhoods in Dhaka, a fast-growing mega-city
This paper presents the results of a large-scale survey focusing on slum and non-slum residents’ experiences with urban water supply, water pollution and flood risks and associated costs of illness (COI).
REACH Exit Strategy
REACH’s Exit Strategy scopes out actions to promote the legacy of the programme, highlighting opportunities to sustain, scale-up, and scale-out our work.
