40 percent of Dhaka’s water is contaminated

According to the result of a joint study on water quality of Dhaka Wasa by ICDDR,B, and BUET, four out of ten Wasa zones are contaminated. The tests were conducted on water samples collected from 34 areas in 10 zones and high levels of arsenic and chlorine were found to be present. The High Court had earlier directed the Local Government and Rural Development to have the tests done and have the report submitted to it by Sunday next.

We thank the court for its timely intervention, particularly in light of the fact that Wasa officials had steadfastly been claiming that the water supplied to Dhaka residents was safe for drinking. That position later changed on May 16 when the water supply agency admitted that 57 percent of the areas where it supplied water was polluted due to faulty pipes. Now that we have conclusive evidence about how bad the situation is and precisely which areas of the city are adversely affected, what will Wasa do about it? Will it be more of the same, as in resorting to delaying tactics to not take responsibility? Or will we see some positive steps to rectify a serious public health hazard that has the potential to cause harm to millions of residents? What has been plain to residents in various parts of the city took a court order to force the authorities to step up and admit that there’s something seriously wrong with the quality of water. Instead of making ridiculous statements that the water is completely safe to drink, Wasa needs to take appropriate steps to contain bacterial contamination. Funds need to be allocated immediately for technical support that will allow the supply authority to regularly monitor water quality and do necessary repairs to its network so that safe drinking water can be supplied to all of Dhaka’s residents.