United Nations World Water Development Report 2017 says, Bangladesh is among the countries with the lowest level of wastewater treatment in the Asia Pacific region treating only 17% wastewater. Only 2% water of capital Dhaka is safely managed. The need for improving the efficiency of wastewater management systems has been stressed to increase the proportion of safely recycled wastewater.
Asia and the Pacific region is going through increased competition across key sectors over limited freshwater resources, while 80% of all wastewater in the region is released untreated which pollutes not only ground and surface water but also coastal ecosystems. In a world where demands for freshwater are continuously growing, neglecting the opportunities arising from improved wastewater management is unthinkable. Currently, two-thirds of the world's population lives in areas that experience water scarcity for at least one month each year. Bangladesh's low-lying topography and its location on the Bay of Bengal make its coastal communities subject to frequent flooding caused by cyclonic storm surges.
The United Nations Report says one in four of the world's children will live in areas of extremely high water stress by 2040. High-income countries treat about 70%, upper middle-income countries treat 38% and lower middle income countries treat 28% of the industrial wastewater. In low-income countries, only 8% water is properly treated. Over 80% wastewater worldwide is discharged untreated.
One of the countries worst affected by saltwater intrusion and groundwater salinization is Bangladesh, where approximately 20 million people living in coastal areas are already affected by drinking water salinity. By 2050, soil salinity in Bangladesh is estimated to increase by an average of 26%. At least 20 million people in the country lack access to safe water and in Dhaka, nearly one third of domestic effluents do not receive any kind of treatment. About 30% of the population of the city is covered by a sewerage system of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority.
The problem is very alarming and the government should give immediate attention to prevent water crisis in future. There are rivers around Dhaka but their water can't be used for drinking. Storing freshwater in the ground is an important climate-adaptation option. Bangladesh has an enormous excess of surface water during the summer monsoon (June to October). Internal renewable water resources are about 105 km3 per year, while inflowing transboundary rivers provide another 1,100 km3 annually.
Bangladesh is heavily dependent on the flows of the Brahmaputra, Meghna and Ganges river basins. Whereas deforestation and flood control in the upstream catchment areas increase the flood peaks in Bangladesh. The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh, signed in 1996, qualifies Bangladesh to receive a minimum of 35,000 cubic feet per second (990 m3/s) during the dry season. But even this minimum flow is not available in some years. The crisis of drinking water can be reduced by setting up rainwater harvesting plants in the city households. The practice of rainwater harvesting in the urban areas is still quite new in Bangladesh. By utilizing rainwater, it is possible to reduce safe drinking water scarcity.
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