Unsafe water in urban areas

It is of grave concern that a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey has found 55 percent of urban households across the country use water contaminated by E.coli, a dangerous bacteria that causes serious waterborne diseases. It has been found that the water has become polluted from source mainly because of leaky water pipes. Not surprisingly it is mainly the urban poor who are affected the most by contaminated water.

Water becoming undrinkable due to inordinately high levels of pathogens is a regular problem in urban areas especially during water-logging when dirt and filth enter pipes especially if they are ill-maintained. There is therefore no excuse for the authorities supplying the water to have been so nonchalant about a situation that affects the lives of millions. According to a report in this paper, a high official of a government body that deals with water supply in the capital, Dhaka Wasa is in the process of replacing the old, cracked pipes with Asian Development Bank's financing. The question is: why have they waited so long?

Though delayed, it is still a hopeful sign that Dhaka Wasa is taking an initiative to solve this crisis; but water supplying authorities of other urban areas where the contamination has been detected must also do the same. In the wake of such a crisis, the state must take all necessary steps to ensure an adequate supply of drinkable water to urban households. These include maintenance of water pipes, raising public awareness about the use of clean utensils to carry water in households and preventing water-logging in streets. Providing clean, potable water to the public is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the government.