The looming water crisis

Water is life. It is crucial both for life and environment. Except deserts and arid regions, the earth has enough fresh water to meet the needs of mankind. Yet, there is a hue and cry for water throughout the world in one form or the other. It is not only a physical resource but also it has gained enormous social, economic, political and ecological connotations. Though water seems to be abundant, international studies have found less than 2.5 per cent of water as fresh of which 33 per cent is fluid. Again, about 1.7 per cent of all fluid water runs in the streams. All human water uses draw on almost two-thirds of readily available fresh water. Water has multi-dimensional uses like drinking, sanitation, irrigation, navigation, industrial uses, ecosystems, water-based recreation, hydropower generation and etc.
However, supply of fresh water per person is decreasing with the growth of population. By international standard, when annual fresh water supplies fall below 1,700 cubic metres per person, the situation is termed as 'water scarcity'. Today more than 30 countries, mostly in Africa and the Near East, are suffering from water scarcity. Various studies suggest that another 30 countries including India and Pakistan will hit the list as water-scarce countries with the growth of population by 2030. The quantity of water has not changed over the last 50 thousand years. But the availability of fresh water has been squeezing due to population growth, industrialisation, irrigation, deforestation and climate change.
Rise in trans-boundary water conflicts has also been worsening the problem.
Climate change is adversely impacting the hydrological cycle. It affects water resource, both ground and surface water. For South Asia, the impact of climate change is severe. The Himalayan glaciers are fast melting which are causing frequent floods. Again, as the glaciers are shrinking and retreating, the dry season flow in the Ganges has decreased over the years. The sea level has been rising, yielding tidal bores and salinity. Since Bangladesh shares 54 out of 57 rivers with India, the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and the withdrawal of water in the upstream may cause serious crisis for the people and ecology of Bangladesh.
In respect of river water, the challenge of Bangladesh is to administer river flows to avoid floods during monsoon and to meet the dry season demand. Here, there is the requirement of co-operation with the neighbouring countries, particularly India. The regional co-operation is necessary for sustainable water management. The construction of dam at Tipaimukh, the sharing of the Teesta and the Ganges water and of other rivers flowing from India over Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal are the subjects of mutual discussion. The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty concluded in December, 1996 needs to be reviewed. The Teesta Water Sharing Treaty should be concluded.
There are disputes over water between the nations. But there are solutions too. Over last 60 years, according to the World Water Council, more than 230 treaties on cross-border water-sharing treaties have been negotiated and signed. The brilliant examples are the Indo-Pakistan Treaty on Sharing the Water of the Indus, 1960, the Mekong Committee of 1957 and the Nile Basin Initiative of 1999. These and similar other treaties brought benefits for all river bank and riparian states. The peaceful solution of water-sharing issues by Bangladesh with its neighbour/neighbours will greatly play a crucial role in managing water resources and having fresh water.
The increasing demand for domestic, agricultural and industrial water needs more non-polluted water. But various studies suggest that rivers in Asia are far more polluted than those of the rest of the world. Scientific studies have found 20 times more lead in Asian rivers than the rivers of the OECD countries and the quality of fecal coliform in Asian rivers is 3 times higher than the world average.
Bangladesh is a country of rivers. There are three major river systems: the Ganges-Padma, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Meghna. In all, there are about 250 rivers that crisscross the country. Most of them are tributaries and distributaries of the three major river systems. All these traverse the country before reaching the Bay of Bengal. Ninety-two per cent of annual flow is contributed by 57 rivers flowing through Bangladesh that originate outside its borders. Of these, 54 rivers flow from India and 3 from Myanmar. As such any intervention or action in the upstream has an adverse effect on the ecology of Bangladesh. Deforestation in the upper riparian countries and the resulting sedimentation in the rivers are adversely affecting Bangladesh. Major rivers are shrinking in Bangladesh. They carry about one billion tones of rubble and debris into the country's flood plains. They are reducing the depth of the waterways and spilling over the banks. Siltation has been accentuated by river bank erosion and negligible dredging posing serious threat to the navigability of various parts of long 25,000 kilometers of riverine routes of Bangladesh. Ill-thought-out construction of bridges, roads and embankments also obstructs the drainage of water. Scores of tributaries and small rivers have become silted and dried. The rivers are being used indiscriminately as dumps. Some people are grabbing rivers, ponds, canals and other watersheds. Industrial effluents, untreated sewerage and oil spillage in the rivers are making and have made some rivers biologically dead. The Buriganga, the Turag and the Balu around Dhaka city and the Pashur in Khulna have died biologically. The Shitalakhya in Dhaka region and the Karnaphuli in Chittagong are groaning and may die biologically very soon. The salinity has intruded into several hundred kilometres upstream due to low flow from the upper riparian states. Example of the river Gorai can be given.
The main tributary of the Ganges, the Gorai flows through the south-west region of Bangladesh. It becomes dry in every lean season. Environmentalists think that due to scantly flushing through the Gorai salinity has intruded into more than 200 kilometres upstream. This has threatened the Sunderbans mangrove forest. According to experts, the top-dying disease of Sundari trees is due to this salinity.
The sewage system in cities, particularly Dhaka, is disappointing. The hazard is becoming worse every day. About half of urban population has access to relatively safe water. The rest are unfortunate and have to use unsafe water. Open latrines are also found on large scale. The sewerage system is inadequate and hardly covers half of Dhaka metropolitan area. With rapid urbanisation, the problems of safe drinking water and sewage treatment will become more acute.
All these suggest that an integrated approach should immediately be undertaken for creating a fresh water environment in Bangladesh. The policy must cover domestic measures as well as trans-boundary cooperation. A national steering committee, headed by the Prime Minister and backed by law, should be formed. The committee will review the situation periodically, at least three times a year and suggest measures for fresh water environment. The nation hopes for the best.
The writer is an economist and               former Environment Secretary. chowdhuryjafar@ymail.com