Dhaka is facing a mounting water crisis as rapid urbanisation, excessive dependence on groundwater and years of delays in major infrastructure projects continue to strain the capital’s fragile supply system.
Dhaka’s rivers, lakes and canals are shrinking rapidly due to unchecked urbanisation and encroachment.
According to Dhaka’s 2010 area plan, the capital had around 5,523 acres of surface water bodies, but a 2017 RAJUK study found that only about 30 percent of those areas remained within seven years.
Experts say pollution has also worsened significantly, while a study conducted by WASA in 2018 found contamination levels in the city’s rivers so severe that the water can no longer be treated for human consumption.
Experts and officials said unless surface water projects are implemented quickly and river pollution is brought under control, the city could face acute shortages in the coming years, alongside serious environmental consequences caused by overextraction of groundwater.
The city now uses nearly five times more water than it did three decades ago, while hotter and longer summers are further increasing pressure on supply.
Home to more than 20 million people, the capital currently requires between 2.7 billion and 3 billion litres of water every day.
Against this demand, Dhaka WASA supplies around 2.6 billion to 2.9 billion litres daily, leaving only a thin margin between supply and demand.
Despite long-standing plans to reduce dependence on underground sources, nearly two-thirds of the city’s water still comes from groundwater extracted through deep tube wells.
According to WASA data, the agency currently produces nearly 2,977 million litres of water daily, most of it drawn from underground aquifers.
Excessive extraction have already caused groundwater levels in many parts of Dhaka to decline sharply.
Experts also said that continued depletion of aquifers could trigger land subsidence, threatening roads, buildings and other urban infrastructure.
Deeper extraction may also increase the risk of contamination from arsenic and other harmful substances.
Major projects stuck for years
Officials say several key water treatment projects have remained stalled for years due to bureaucratic delays, land disputes and poor coordination among agencies.
Dhaka WASA Additional Chief Engineer Alamgir Hachin Ahmed said many projects that were originally scheduled for completion within five years are now taking more than a decade.
“In many cases, projects supposed to be completed within five years are taking 10 to 12 years,” he said.
He attributed the delays to administrative complications, slow approval processes, land acquisition problems and difficulties in obtaining permissions for pipeline installation and road excavation.
He said Dhaka WASA is currently bringing water from the Meghna, Shitalakkhya and Buriganga rivers to supply the capital.
“At present, around 51 kilometres of pipeline are being used to transport water. If necessary, the network may be expanded to nearly 150 kilometres in the future,” he said.
The Gandharbpur Water Treatment Plant project, expected to supply 500 million litres of water daily, has faced prolonged delays mainly because of land acquisition complications and failure to secure permission for road excavation needed for pipeline installation.
The Saidabad Phase-3 project has also seen years of slow progress.
Currently, surface water is being supplied from the Saidabad project with around 450 million litres daily, the Padma project with about 250 million litres and the Savar project with roughly 100 to 120 million litres.
Officials said current level of surface water supply remains inadequate compared to rapidly rising demand.
Warning of growing long-term risks, Alamgir said authorities may one day have to consider bringing water from the Bay of Bengal if the crisis worsens further.
Polluted rivers complicating treatment
Experts say worsening pollution in rivers surrounding Dhaka is creating another major challenge for the city’s future water security.
Untreated industrial waste, sewage and chemical pollution in rivers such as the Buriganga and Shitalakkhya are making water treatment increasingly difficult and costly.
Experts warn that deteriorating river quality could undermine Dhaka’s long-term transition towards surface water dependence.
Emergency project again relies on groundwater
Amid growing concerns over water shortages during the summer season, Dhaka WASA is now moving ahead with an emergency supply project that again depends heavily on groundwater extraction.
A Tk 920.85 crore project titled “Emergency Water Supply in Dhaka City” is expected to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.
The project aims to ensure an additional 576 million litres of water supply by replacing 388 old deep tube wells and installing 62 new ones.
It also includes installation of 450 pump-motor units, construction of 250 pump houses and deployment of 124 SCADA systems.
The project is scheduled for implementation between January 2026 and June 2030.
Dhaka WASA Supervising Engineer Abdul Majid said around 1,330 deep tube wells are currently operating across the capital.
“When production declines, replacement boreholes are installed at the same locations,” he said.
Experts urge long-term strategy
Speaking at a recent seminar titled “Water Rights in Bangladesh,” State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad said access to safe drinking water must be treated as a basic right.
“Water is another name for life. Yet 26 percent of the country’s people still do not have access to safe drinking water,” he said.
Economist Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman warned that freshwater sources are shrinking steadily and stressed the need for responsible land use management and greater public awareness regarding water conservation.
Experts stressed that without an integrated long-term water management strategy, rapid expansion of surface water infrastructure and effective protection of rivers and groundwater reserves, Dhaka’s water crisis could intensify further in the coming years.