Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply in Bangladesh: Rhetoric or Reality

Like many other developing countries, Bangladesh has been caught in the dilemma of declining and increasingly isolated surface water sources that are not potable and spread disease and groundwater sources that are inextricably finite and quickly being used up. Using statistics from secondary, largely government and international organization sources and a case study of four provincial cities, this chapter documents Bangladesh’s heavy dependence on groundwater for its water supply and the decline of that water supply, as well as the geophysical and financial impact of its increasing use over time. To address the issue of clean water in Bangladesh, the only viable solutions are advanced surface water treatment and desalination plants. These solutions require significant capital investment and must adhere to strict pollution controls. Unfortunately, Bangladesh currently lacks the necessary resources to undertake such projects independently in the near future. Nor could privatization of water help because the capital investment is so significant that it would price almost all Bangladeshis out of the water market even before considering the need for private companies to make a profit for investors. Only flat-out, bald-faced charity could save Bangladesh and many other developing countries in this sort of water dilemma of the present water stock declining toward zero and the costs of the only technologically feasible solutions making such solutions uneconomic. Are there any good Samaritans left?