Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Water Pollution Water is considered polluted when it is altered from the natural state in
its physical condition, and chemical and microbiological composition, so that it becomes
unsuitable or less suitable for any safe and beneficial consumption. The term
contamination is used synonymously with pollution. The signs of water pollution are
obvious: bad taste; offensive odours from lakes, rivers and sea beaches; unchecked growth
of aquatic weeds in water bodies; decrease in number of aquatic animals in surface water
bodies; oil and grease floating on water surfaces; colouration of water; etc. Besides these
obvious signs, there are other kinds of pollution, which are not so visible.
Sources of pollution Factories, power plants and sewage treatment plants are considered
point sources of water pollution, because they emit pollutants at discrete locations, usually
through a pipe that leads to a lake or STREAM. Nonpoint sources of water pollution are
scattered or diffused. Cropland, FORESTs, urban and suburban lands, roadways, and parking
lots are nonpoint sources of a variety of substances including dust, SEDIMENT, PESTICIDEs,
asbestos, FERTILISER, heavy metals, salts, oil, grease, litter, and even air pollutants washed
down from the sky by rain.
Water pollution can also be categorised into natural and anthropogenic sources. Natural
sources are those which take place without human influence. Anthropogenic pollution are
those which are induced by human beings. Natural pollution can also be accentuated by
human activities. Pollution takes place in all the three main sources of water, ie rain water,
SURFACE WATER and GROUNDWATER. Surface water is more susceptible than groundwater, which is
Bangladesh is located in Southern Asia (24 00 N, 90 00 E), bordering the Bay of Bengal
for 580 km, Burma for 193 km, and India for 4,053 km. Slightly smaller than
Wisconsin, the country comprises over 140,000 sq. km, 134,00 of which are land.
Maritime claims include the contiguous zone (18 nm), the exclusive economic zone (200
nm), and the territorial sea (2 nm). The weather is cool and dry from October to March,
hot and humid from March to June, and cool and rainy from June to October. The terrain
is mostly flat; hilly in southeast with the lowest point at the Indian Ocean, and the highest
point at 1,230m in Keokradong. Natural resources include natural gas, arable land, and
timber. Natural hazards include droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely
flooded during the summer monsoon season. Many people being forced to live on flood
prone land with limited access to potable water. Water borne diseases are prevalent.
Water pollution is a big problem as a result of commercial pesticides. In addition there
are intermittent water shortages, soil degradation, deforestation, and severe
overpopulation
Water Resources Management aims at managing the tasks required to generate water
and produce water related goods and services for the benefits of the society as a whole. It
includes physical intervention, related financial management, institutional arrangement,
legislation, and regulations.
Water Resources System (WRS) consists of various components of the natural system,
human made infrastructure, and the institutional arrangements to regulate and control the
availability and access of users to these components.
In Bangladesh agriculture is the principal economic activity and the main user of water.
Water also has domestic, commercial and industrial use. The in-stream flows and water
storage support fisheries, forestry, navigation, pollution control, salinity control, nature
conservation and recreational facilities. The natural subsystems of WRS of the country
are: (a) the inter-linked system of rivers, estuaries, canals, khals etc; (b) the floodplain;
(c) wetlands; (d) haors, baors, beels, lakes; (e) ponds; (f) inter tidal lands and water; and
(g) groundwater aquifers
Water management issues and challenges Water resources management in Bangladesh
faces immense challenges of resolving diverse problems and issues. The most critical of
these are floods in the wet season and the scarcity of water in the dry season, ever
expanding water needs of a growing economy and population, supply of safe drinking
water and sanitation, arsenic problem, water pollution, massive river sedimentation and
river bank erosion. There is a growing need for maintaining the ecosystems particularly
in the fish resources and wetlands. The water management is increasingly facing
challenges of exogenous developments of a global nature, such as climate change and sea
level rise, as well as of upstream river basin development beyond the border of the
country. Also there is the issue of competitive demand of various water uses.
Major studies The most important reports/documents which have guided the government
policy on the water resources sector are: (i) Water and Power Development in East
Pakistan: Report of United Nations Technical Assistance Mission, 1957 (Krug Mission
Report); (ii) East Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority Master Plan 1964
(EPWAPDA 1964 Master Plan); (iii) International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) Review of EPWAPDA 1964 Master Plan, 1966; (iv) Land and
Water Resources Sector Study, Bangladesh, IBRD, 1972; (v) National Water Plan Phase-
I, MPO, 1986; (vi) National Water Plan Phase-II, MPO, 1991; (vii) The Flood Action
Plan, FPCO, 1989-95; and (viii) The Bangladesh Water and Flood Management Strategy
FPCO, 1995.
The Krug Mission Report, 1957 was a product of a study on flood control and water
management in East Pakistan after the disastrous floods of 1954, 1955 and 1956 that
drew world attention. The most significant recommendation of the report was to create a
new government corporation with comprehensive responsibilities and authorities to deal
with all water and power development problems. Following the recommendation, East
Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority was created in 1959.
The EPWAPDA 1964 Master Plan was designed to meet the agricultural demand of water
through large-scale public sector development and water management in both dry season
(irrigation) and wet season (flooding). The Master Plan identified 63 water development
projects and grouped them according to geographic locations. Major outcomes of the plan
were the initiation of the process of national level water sector planning and the eventual
implementation of large-scale Flood Control Drainage (FCD) and Flood Control,
Drainage & Irrigation (FCDI) projects including the protection of most coastal zones
against tidal flooding.
IBRD Mission reviewed the EPWAPDA 1964 Master Plan in 1966 and the report agreed
with the general principles regarding the importance of flood control, drainage and
irrigation. The report, however, expressed reservations on the suggested strategy and
specific proposals of the plan. The IBRD review of 1964 Master Plan played an important
role in taking decision by many donor agencies for not to finance large, complex and long
gestation schemes.
IBRD Report on Land and Water Resources, Bangladesh, 1972 emphasised the need for
quick results from water development efforts to achieve food grain self-sufficiency. It
attached high priority to small and medium sized, simple, low cost, labour intensive
projects. Such schemes would involve low embankments and gravity drainage. It also
proposed low lift pump irrigation and tubewell irrigation. The government, however, did
not accept the study as a whole but its water development strategy was greatly influenced
by its findings and recommendations.
The National Water Plan (NWP) was formulated in 1986 by the Master Plan Organisation
(MPO) created in 1983. In its first phase, the NWP identified 15 modes of development
for the water sector with analysis in four major categories such as FCD (flood control,
and gravity drainage), irrigation (major and minor irrigation), FCDI (flood control,
drainage and irrigation), and additional modes. The investment priorities set by NWP
included (a) minor irrigation schemes such as low lift pump (LLP), shallow tubewells
(STWs); (b) major irrigation schemes (FCDI); (c) deep tubewells (DTW); and (d) flood
control and drainage scheme (FCD).
Master Plan Organisation prepared the National Water Plan Phase-II in 1991. It updated
NWP-I with a detailed investment programme and a list of projects. The 20-year (1991-
2010) public investment programme gave more emphasis to FCD. Although the
government did not formally accept the NWP reports, the NWP had in its two phases,
made important contributions to the knowledge and understanding of the water resources
of Bangladesh. The NWP data provided the basis for subsequent water sector planning.
After the disastrous floods of 1987 and 1988, the attention of the government of
Bangladesh, as well as its development partners was once again focussed to floods in the
country, especially in its urban areas. The Flood Plan Co-ordination Organisation (FPCO)
was created in 1989 and it undertook 26 studies under a common umbrella known as the
Flood Action Plan (FAP). Noteworthy among the features of FAP were (a) the attention to
urban FCD and non-structural flood proofing, though agriculture remained the main
focus of regional plans; and (b) emphasis on social and environmental impact, effect on
fisheries, and people's participation in flood control and water management.
The report titled "The Bangladesh Water and Flood Management Strategy (BWFMS),
1995" was a follow-up to FAP and became the working policy document for the water
sector that presented a framework for the development and implementation of specific
programmes in water sector. It recommended a 5-year programme involving (a)
preparation of National Water Policy; (b) preparation of a national water management
plan; (c) strengthening of water sector organisations responsible for planning,
construction, operation and maintenance; and (d) implementation of a portfolio of high
priority projects.
Policy on Strategic framework The government declared the National Water Policy
(NWPo) in 1999. The six national goals of the NWPo were economic development,
poverty alleviation, food security, public health and safety, a decent standard of living for
the people, and protection of the national environment. The other related government
policies that have direct bearing on water sector are the National Environment Policy
1992, National Forestry Policy 1994, National Energy Policy 1996, National Policy for
Safe Water Supply and Sanitation 1998, National Fisheries Policy 1998, National
Agriculture Policy 1999, and Industrial Policy 1999.
Water Rights and Laws Ownership of surface and groundwater rests with the state. There
are many legislation relating to water sector, some dating back over a century. The list
includes the Irrigation Act 1876, Embankment and Drainage Act 1952, Bangladesh Water
and Power Development Boards Order 1972, Irrigation Water Rate Ordinance 1983,
Groundwater Management Ordinance 1985, Water Resources Planning Act 1992,
Environment Conservation Act 1995, Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act 1996,
Environment Conservation Rules 1997, Environment Court Act 1999, Bangladesh Water
Development Board Act 2000, and Urban Water Body Protection Law 2001.
International treaties and protocols In 1996, Bangladesh and India signed a thirty year
agreement regarding sharing of the Ganges water. This is the only existing agreement
between the two countries regarding sharing of the water of their 54 common rivers.
Bangladesh is a signatory to the following international protocols which has implications
on environmental aspects of water resources: (a) Agenda 21, the 1992 Rio Convention on
Biological Diversity; (b) the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, applies in
Bangladesh to the Sundarbans and parts of the Haor Basin (Tanguar Haor), the only such
sites at present in Bangladesh; (c) the 1973 Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; (d) the 1972 Convention on the Protection
of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites; (e) the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change; (f) the 1954 International Convention for Prevention of
Pollution of the Sea by Oil; (g) the Marine Pollution Conventions; and (h) the Basel
Convention on Hazardous Wastes.
Institutional setting At present, the agencies or organisations which have relevant
functions in water sector are of four categories: (a) government agencies; (b) local
government institutions; (c) other organisations and the private sector; and (d)
development partners. The government agencies include 13 ministries and 35
organisations, the most important among which are the Ministry of Water Resources,
Bangladesh Water Development Board, Water Resources Planning Organisation
(WARPO), Joint Rivers Commission, River Research Institute, Surface Water Modeling
Centre, Bangladesh Haor & Wetland Development Board, Ministry of Agriculture,
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development & Cooperatives, Local Government Engineering Department, Department
of Public Health Engineering, Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation Authority, Chittagong
Water Supply and Sanitation Authority, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Department
of Environment, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Inland Water Transport, Bangladesh
Inland Water Transport Authority, Ministry of Fisheries & Livestock, Department of
Fisheries, and Disaster Management Bureau.
The local government institutions are the Paurashava (municipalities) and the Parishads
(councils, mainly the upazila parishads). The category 'Other Organisations & Private
Sector' includes community based organisations, non-government organisations,
cooperatives, and private sector organisations and institutions. Noted among the
development partners are the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the United
Nations Development Programme and numerous bilateral development agencies of
countries such as Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, UK, and Canada.
Participatory water management The National Water Policy directed that "Stakeholder
involvement should be an integral part of water resources management at all stages of the
project cycle". Stakeholder institutions (water users group) were established within FCD
areas of BWDB, based on drainage blocks or chawks. LGED, DPHE, Barind
Multipurpose Development Project also formed water user groups in different names.
The institutional framework in which the local stakeholders are to participate is known as
the Water Management Organisation (WMO) comprising the Water Management Group
(WMG), Water Management Association (WMA) and Water Management Federation
(WMF). WMOs are registered under the Cooperative Societies Act 1986.
Water sector projects and interventions The traditional approach to water resources
system management in Bangladesh has been based on structural interventions in flood
control, drainage and irrigation. Recently increasing emphasis is given to other kinds of
management interventions such as flood warning system, flood proofing and adopting
responses to hazardous conditions. Following are the different types of direct water sector
interventions implemented in the country:Rural FCD inland and coastal embankments
and polders; regulators; small-scale FCD; river training, bank protection and river
dredging.Urban FCD town protection schemes, embankments, regulators, pumps etc.
Minor/small-scale irrigation public sector force mode tubewells (both deep and shallow),
rubber dams; and khal re-excavation.Major/large-scale irrigation pumps, irrigation canal
network, drainage canal network, barrages, etc.Flood proofing homestead raising and
construction of flood refuges.Flood warning systems flood/disaster forecasting and
warning, preparedness and management.
Water supply and sanitation piped water supply using both surface and groundwater in
big cities, sanitation services in big cities etc and hand tubewells for drinking water in
rural areas.
Dredging augmentation of river flows and for navigation purposes.
Cyclone protection embankments, cyclone shelters etc.
Hydropower generation embankments, dams, river training, power house etc.
National Water Management Plan (NWMP) The draft NWMP was prepared by WARPO
in 2001. The plan is to be updated every five years. The plan identified 84 programmes,
which are grouped both into eight sub sectoral clusters, as well as eight planning regions.
The eight sub clusters are the Institutional Development, Enabling Environment, Main
Rivers, Towns and Rural Areas, Major Cities, Disaster Management, Agriculture and
Water Management, and Environment and Aquatic Resources. The eight planning regions
are South West Region, North East Region, North Central Region, Northwest Region,
South Central Region, South East Region, Eastern Hills Region, and Rivers & Estuary
Region. Priority is given to the institutional development, enabling environment, and
water supply and sanitation. The estimated investment cost of the plan over 25 years is
Tk 91,457 crore ($18 billion). [HS Mozaddad Faruque]
Water Technologies
Global warming is a fact. Climate changing in the recent years causes floods, hurricanes
and heavy storms in some parts of the World while in other parts- droughts and even
shortage of potable water. Some countries in Africa are on the verge of starvation caused
mainly by the droughts and shortage of water. Low quality of water cuts life expectancy
and raise medical expenses in Africa, Asia and other regions.This Phenomenon puts the
issue of water to the top interest of the World- organizations like the UN, World Bank,
countries, technology developers, academia and of course the private sector- the water
industry.We, at the Israel Export Institute, decided to give priority to water technologies
in our promotion programs. Israel is one of the countries with a permanent water shortage
and therefore is in the front edge of water related new and advanced technologies. Drip
irrigation, which was developed in Israel, is a good example of an invention that has
changed the philosophy of irrigation by enhancing higher yields with much less water.
Our life and health, and the harmonious existence of mother Earth, are entirely dependent
on water. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to different parts of our body and also removes
toxins and waste.Unfortunately for most people, water also has lost its magic because it is
so universal we take it for granted. We have simply stopped thinking about it, let alone
appreciating it. The availability of water at the turn of a tap have distant us from the
crystal clear bubbling water of natural springs, the reflective water of mountain pools, or
the deep water of an ancient well. Our modern demands and water recycling processes
using ‘cleansing chemicals’ have effectively neutered its essence and vitality. Instead of
revering its once sacred nature, we have gradually allowed water to become degraded and
dirtied. Exploited, manipulated and polluted, this fountain of life has become one of the
great channels for transmitting illness...
Water Pollution Is Threatening the Total Health Balance
"What You Do Not Know About Your Tap Water May Be Killing You Silently..."
Common Drinking Water Problems
Chlorine
Chlorine affects the metabolism of fat and hormonal activities. It inhibits the actions of
certain enzymes and may inhibit recovery in some illnesses. Some people are allergic
to it. Chlorine has been known to be associated with heart disease.
HeavyMetals&Rusts
Ordinarily found in our water from pipes and hot water tanks. High levels may cause
seriouslong-termhealthproblems.
Fluoride
Commonly added to water as a ‘public service’ to prevent tooth decay. Controversy has
surrounded this practice as large amounts of fluoride can weaken the immune system
andcausegeneticdefects.
Chemicals
Herbicides, pesticides containing carbon tetrachloride, lindane and atrazine may leach
into water from farming practices, and nitrates leach into the water as residues from
fertilizers. All these chemicals may cause a variety of health problems and birth
defects.
CystsandSpores
Waterborne parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia are not always effectively
removed by conventional water treatment plants which cause diseases and
gastrointestinal disorders.
Agricultural run-offs
- Fertilisers, Pesticides
Impacts on health
Currently, there is no measure of burden of disease due to chemical pollutants in water.
The burden of disease from diarrhoeal disease from unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene
is very large in developing countries, but the health effects from chemical pollution of
water are usually local and less prevalent. An exception is the major public health
problem of arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh and some other countries. are there
any reliable estimates? was talking to someone today in SEARO who says there are
some, though not totally reliable.
5B. Water
Case studies:
Industrial water pollution:
Mercury poisoning – fishing communities
e.g. Minamata disease (discharge of organomercury in to Minamata Bay, Japan, in late
1950s)
Cadmium poisoning – rice
Draw attention to the fact that in developing countries where subsistence farming is
common practice in the villages – people grow and eat own crops – no dilution effect by
consuming unpolluted food as well as polluted.
Soldiers, carrying water in mobile tanks, have been supplying slums areas housing nearly a quarter
of Dhaka's population, city officials said yesterday.
In spite of the fact that Dhaka regularly faces devastating floods in the wet season, higher
consumption resulting from new housing projects and population growth of over six percent
annually was outstripping supplies.
Hundreds of men, women and children queue up at roadside water taps every morning jostling to
have a quick bath, wash clothes or to grab a pot-full of drinking water.
"The water scarcity was due to growing consumption by the city's hugely expanding multi-storied
housing complexes and pollution of the Buriganga," Azharul Haq, Managing Director of the Water
and Sewerage Authority (WASA), told Reuters.
Hundreds of tonnes of waste and harmful chemicals are dumped in the Buriganga river from
tanneries and industries lining its banks.
"Those without running water drink from the river or other derelict sources exposing them to
health hazards," he added.
Haq said the water crisis was likely to deepen during the summer when ground water levels would
drop further.
Water experts blame the decline in ground water levels on pumping from deep tubewells for
irrigation and other purposes.
According to Haq, ground water levels had been falling by nearly six feet (two metres) per year.
"WASA has a capacity to supply 1.27 billion litres per day against a demand of 1.6 billion litres for
residents in the capital".
Haq said WASA's efforts to increase water supplies faced difficulties because many of the 750
deep tubewells it used in the capital were unusable because of falling ground water levels.
The situation could be helped by the opening of a $131 million surface water treatment plant in the
Syedabad area of the city, expected next June.
The Syedabad plant will have capacity to supply 225 million litres of clean water each day, Haq
said.
City officials, however, warned it could prove a drop in the ocean given the huge population
pressures facing Dhaka.
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, was established on the banks of the river Buriganga in
early 17th century. The total population in Dhaka City grew from 0.1 million in 1906 to
9.9 million in 2000. Dhaka city is projected to be one of the four largest mega cities in
the world by next 10 years. In spite of development of communication infrastructure on
land, the river Buriganga still remains the main gateway between Dhaka and the southern
part of Bangladesh. It has thus promoted establishment of hundreds of mills & factories,
shops & business centers, boat terminals, dockyards, residential buildings etc on both
banks of the river.
The river is further polluted by discharge of industrial effluents into river water,
indiscriminate throwing of household, clinical, pathological & commercial wastes, and
discharge of fuel and human excreta. In fact, the river has become a dumping ground of
all kinds of solid, liquid and chemical waste of bank-side population. These activities on
the Buriganga have caused narrowing of the river and disruption of its normal flow of
water. The water of the river has become so polluted that its aquatic life has almost been
extinguished.
A survey in 1999 revealed that the water of Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari, Balu, and
Narai flowing around the greater Dhaka city had been completely polluted. The report
concluded that the water of these rivers posed a serious threat to public life and was unfit
for human use. People, living near the rivers, use the water because they are unaware of
the health risks and also having no other alternative. This causes incidents of water borne
and skin diseases.
Achievements:
The meetings, demonstrations, rallies, seminars etc on illegal encroachment and
subsequent degradation of the rivers have influenced other organizations to affiliate with
BAPA and Government agencies to take remedial measures. A few of the significant
achievements are-
Government demolished Shena Kallayan structures, encroaching into the river Buriganga
Government demolished about a hundred unauthorized structures from the banks of
Buriganga in May, 2001. In July 2001, another two dozen structures were demolished.
Government has agreed, in principle, to undertake a comprehensive project to develop
the riverside areas suitable for public recreation.
Preparation of a joint survey report with WASA on the hazardous situation of rivers and
of adjacent areas of Dhaka city.
Success of the Buriganga Bachao Andolon has inspired environmentalists in other areas
of Bangladesh to start similar activities to save the river Karnaphuli in Chittagong, Surma
in Sylhet and Rupsha in Khulna.