Urban and Peri-Urban Water Management Nexus to a Dying River by Prof MS Khan, BUET, Bangladesh, presented at IDRC, New Delhi

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

4. River System
Rupsha-Bhairab
(Ganges tidal plain)
Urbanized area
Mayur river
Mayur river Rupsha river
(flow controlled by gates)
Regulator

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

8. Mayur River
Urban/Peri-urban Links
• Stormwater and wastewater drainage
• Solid waste disposal
• Water supply
• Ecosystem and livelihood

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

12. Acknowledgement
International Development Research Center
South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary
Water Resources Studies

13. Thanks for listening