Dhaka’s population is projected to reach 22 million people by the year 2025. The combination of a large growing population, high industrial growth, increasing pollutant loads and a lack of wastewater infrastructure has created a serious threat to the city’s sustainability. The river system in the watershed is being severely degraded by industrial wastes – 60% of the total pollution load comes from around 7,000 industrial units located within the Dhaka watershed and the remaining 40% from untreated domestic wastes. The heavy contamination of surface and groundwater sources is threatening the safety of water resources for municipal supplies.
To improve the quality of Dhaka’s watershed, the Government of Bangladesh has renewed its commitment to prepare the “Dhaka Integrated Environmental and Water Resources Management Project” (DIEWRMP) with US $ 70 million funding from the World Bank.
The project, will seek to support improved management of water resources and water quality in Greater Dhaka through a series of measures in selected industrial hot spots. The project will focus on infrastructure investments for industrial waste treatment. Further, it will provide technical assistance for (i) improved environmental policy and management framework and institutional capacity, (ii) water quality monitoring and early warning systems and (iii) the promotion of pollution prevention, abatement and control measures in selected industrial clusters, including the construction of Common Effluent Treatment Plants.
Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives along with Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) and the Department of Environment (DOE) would jointly lead the contracting of feasibility studies on water/wastewater and environmental management issues respectively.
A World Bank team reviewed with project preparation status last month. Both the Government and the World Bank team agreed that greater attention needed to be paid to institutional and policy issues to ensure sustainable and effective pollution abatement and control. In order to guide lead agencies on such issues, a multi-sectoral Project Preparation Committee (PPC) was revitalized.
The LGD organized a workshop on May 20, 09, which brought together members of the Project Preparation Committee (PPC ) drew attention to the challenges of addressing the pollution of Dhaka’s watershed under the current fragmented institutional framework and calling for the creation of an apex body at the highest level within government to ensure a more effective and sustainable management of Greater Dhaka.
The industrial associations showed keen interest in developing public-private engagement towards achieving sustainable improvements in the water quality of the greater Dhaka watershed. The workshop concluded that unless all key actors act in a coordinated fashion, it will not be possible to reduce the pollution and clean the rivers surrounding Dhaka city.
To improve the quality of Dhaka’s watershed, the Government of Bangladesh has renewed its commitment to prepare the “Dhaka Integrated Environmental and Water Resources Management Project” (DIEWRMP) with US $ 70 million funding from the World Bank.
The project, will seek to support improved management of water resources and water quality in Greater Dhaka through a series of measures in selected industrial hot spots. The project will focus on infrastructure investments for industrial waste treatment. Further, it will provide technical assistance for (i) improved environmental policy and management framework and institutional capacity, (ii) water quality monitoring and early warning systems and (iii) the promotion of pollution prevention, abatement and control measures in selected industrial clusters, including the construction of Common Effluent Treatment Plants.
Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives along with Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) and the Department of Environment (DOE) would jointly lead the contracting of feasibility studies on water/wastewater and environmental management issues respectively.
A World Bank team reviewed with project preparation status last month. Both the Government and the World Bank team agreed that greater attention needed to be paid to institutional and policy issues to ensure sustainable and effective pollution abatement and control. In order to guide lead agencies on such issues, a multi-sectoral Project Preparation Committee (PPC) was revitalized.
The LGD organized a workshop on May 20, 09, which brought together members of the Project Preparation Committee (PPC ) drew attention to the challenges of addressing the pollution of Dhaka’s watershed under the current fragmented institutional framework and calling for the creation of an apex body at the highest level within government to ensure a more effective and sustainable management of Greater Dhaka.
The industrial associations showed keen interest in developing public-private engagement towards achieving sustainable improvements in the water quality of the greater Dhaka watershed. The workshop concluded that unless all key actors act in a coordinated fashion, it will not be possible to reduce the pollution and clean the rivers surrounding Dhaka city.
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