Extreme heat is already unforgiving on residents of Dhaka. A water crisis makes matters worse

The heat has affected the WASA’s production while the use of water has increased

Obaidur Masumbdnews24.com
Published : 20 April 2023, 08:48 PM
Updated : 20 April 2023, 08:48 PM

Md Riazuddin Ahmed, a senior citizen from Dhaka’s East Kazipara, was sweating in the heat when he arrived at the local pump of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewage Authority, or WASA, on Tuesday to lodge a complaint about no supply to his home for three days.

The water shortage amid the extreme heat has upended daily life in his neighbourhood. “We can’t perform ablution, go to the toilet and access drinking water, let alone have a bath,” he said.

Riazuddin said his complaint got the serial number 81, meaning WASA would address his issue after 80 others.

The WASA sends water trucks to ease the situation in such cases.

At the WASA office near Mirpur Bangla College, workers were filling water trucks from the pump before departing for the affected areas.

Officials said five trucks can make a maximum 60 trips a day against more than 100 complaints. “People start coming as early as 4am to get a serial,” an official said. He declined to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

With the temperature hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, including in Dhaka, people are suffering for more than a week.

The heat has affected the WASA’s production while the use of water has increased.

Taqsem A Khan, the managing director of Dhaka WASA, said “excessive wastage” was complicating the situation, but the water shortage was still “insignificant”.

Several areas in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Vatara, Matuail, and Jurain have been facing water scarcity.

During a visit to several MODS (Maintenance, Operation, Distribution, and Service) offices of Dhaka WASA on Tuesday, it was evident that the crisis was quite severe. Trucks were leaving with water one after another.

The MODS Zone-3 region, covering Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Manipuripara, Farmgate, and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, is facing severe water scarcity, with some areas such as Mohammadiya Housing, Navodaya Housing, Shekhertek, Abdur Rafique Housing, and Adabar experiencing acute shortages.

Shovon, the son of a homeowner in Navodaya Housing who preferred to give only his first name, visited the WASA office on Tuesday to collect water.

He said that the WASA pump in the area was undergoing renovation for the past 20-25 days, which has caused a shortage of water. He added that there had been no water in the pipeline for the past week.

“How are people supposed to cook or eat without water during Ramadan? I'm facing a lot of trouble. Despite my attempts, I can't even secure a WASA truck serial. I am left with no choice but to plead. I don't know how long I can keep buying water."

Some houses in the Bonolota Residential Area of West Agargaon have been facing a water crisis for the past few days, and people are fetching water from nearby houses.

Ehsanur Rahman, a resident of the area, said their houses had not received water for the past 15 days. Despite complaining to Dhaka WASA, nothing has been done to solve the problem, leaving them in a severe water crisis that felt like hell.

For several weeks, the Arjatpara area in Mohakhali has been facing a water shortage due to issues with the water pump. As a result, many residents have been fetching water in bottles and buckets from the pump.

Munirul Islam, a resident of the area, said it was challenging to bring enough water in bottles and buckets amid summer heat.

He said he had to pay extra money to obtain water from WASA. While the fixed price for a one truck of WASA water is Tk 500, he allegedly paid more than Tk 1,000 during the crisis.

Some residents of Maitri Road in Vatara have reported that certain houses are not receiving water.

One of them, Abdul Hamid, said water comes from two pumps next to Nurer Chala Bazar and Vatara Police Station.

"We don't receive water from either side in our house. We get some water during winter, but the situation is very bad during summer. Even though we were told that water would arrive in our area from the Baridhara J Block pump at 6am, we didn't receive any water by 12pm. To manage, I am fetching water from nearby houses using drums and buckets," Hamid said.

WASA MD Taqsem has apologised to the city residents for the water shortage during the hot weather.

The shortage is more severe in Adabar and PC Culture Housing areas because they constructed buildings without leaving spaces for pumps, according to him.

Power outages in certain areas have worsened the situation, and despite their efforts, they have had to implement water rationing. Even a three to four-hour water outage has a significant impact, he said.

"When people turn on the tap, hot water comes out for a while. Instead of collecting water and using it, people tend to waste it. As water scarcity is already a major concern, such wastage is further exacerbating the problem."

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi; editing by Osham-ul-Sufian Talukder]