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Urban and peri urban water management nexus to a dying river_Prof MS Khan-Bangladesh
1. Urban and Peri-Urban Water Management Nexus
to a Dying River
M. Shah Alam Khan
Professor
Institute of Water and Flood Management,
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
IDRC Seminar, New Delhi
January 11, 2012
2. Presentation Outline
• Khulna: general description
• Urban/Peri-urban vulnerabilities
• Mayur river: urban and peri-urban links
• Mayur river: issues and challenges
• Actions/Adaptations
3. Khulna City
Third largest metropolitan city
- Population 1.7 million (3.8% growth)
- Area 46 sq. km
- Groundwater based water supply
(56 production wells, 12,000 hand tubewells)
Water institutions:
- Khulna WASA, KCC, KDA, Union-
level community organizations
- Strong NGO, civil society
mobilization around water
(Coastal Water Convention 2011)
- Mayor popular across party lines
5. Urban/Peri-Urban Vulnerabilities
• Water scarcity for drinking, sanitation and agricultural use
• Wastewater discharge, solid waste disposal, rainfall flooding and water
logging
• Climate change induced sea level rise and salinity intrusion
• Salinity, iron and arsenic in groundwater
• Absence of community participation in gate operation and
management
• Absence of community participation and institutional arrangement for
water management
• Conflict between upstream and downstream (Mayur river) water users
(culture fisheries)
• Conflict between urban and peri-urban water users
6. Vulnerabilities
Urbanization stress on peri-urban
communities
- Land conversion and depleting
waterbodies
- Wastewater and solid waste disposal
(18 drains from the city into the Mayur river)
Adverse impacts on ecosystem and
livelihoods
Displacement of the poor
7. Vulnerabilities
Projected climate change impacts
(one of the most vulnerable cities)
- More frequent extreme events:
Cyclone, storm surge, rainfall
- Sea level rise resulting in salinity
intrusion, drainage congestion and
storm surge/tidal flooding
Adverse impacts on vulnerable
communities
‘Climate migrant’ influx
9. Mayur River
Issues and Challenges
• Natural (tidal) flow of the river is
obstructed (by gates)
• The river has lost its conveyance
capacity due to solid waste
accumulation
• Water is unsuitable for aquatic life
(DO: 0.3 - 1.4 mg/L; pH: 6.32 - 6.85)
• Conflict between KCC, KDA and
KWASA regarding ownership of the
problem
• Absence of strong advocacy for the
peri-urban communities
10. Blame it ALL on Climate Change!
• Khulna has been the focus of CC studies and 160
capacity building programs 140
No. of Rainy Days
120
• These programs have generated a lot of 100
awareness among the vulnerable 80
60
communities 40
20
• Local people believe almost all the problems 0
(including WL rise and increasing salinity) 1940 1950 1960 1970
Year
1980 1990 2000 2010
are caused by CC impact
• Need to isolate CC impact and other causes
11. Action/Adaptation/Advocacy
• Water supply, sewage treatment
and solid waste management
programs for the city (Water
importation from peri-urban
areas/distant rivers)
• Restoration of the Mayur river –
‘Linear Park’
• Community based solid waste
management and biological
treatment
• Drainage improvement
• Wastewater irrigation
• ‘Save the Mayur’ campaign