Assessing the right to water of the urban poor in Dhaka city

Sumaia Kashem; Nazwa Tahsin; Zarin Subah; Sonia Binte Murshed; Sara Nowreen; M. Shahjahan Mondal

Published in ‘GeoJournal’

Abstract

Dhaka, the capital metropolis of Bangladesh, is burdened with huge population and unplanned urbanization. It is facing huge challenge to provide city-wide water connection due to the declination of groundwater resources, pollution of surface water sources, and poor governance. The low-income communities (LICs) in the city suffer the most due to the absence of formal water supply. This study assesses the right to water of the urban poor in three select slums of the city. It dissects the issue from four broad perspectives: economic burden of water, sociopolitical constraints to attain the right to water, climate change led potential aggravation to the right, and prevailing policy environment to protect the right. It also assesses the implications of the non-fulfilment of right to water on the water security of the urban poor. The study collects primary data using a mixed-method approach, and secondary data from government organizations and dynamic downscaling of regional climate model. The findings indicate that dealing with high water price with low income creates extra financial burden for the poor families resulting in high gender inequality. This inequality varies with hydroclimatic extremity and probability of eviction of the slums. The right to water of the urban poor, especially the slum women, would be greatly impacted by the potential climate change. The existing water and climate change policies in Bangladesh fail to address the right to water issues of the urban poor due mainly to the absence of implementation protocol. The findings would be useful in formulating policies to improve water supply to LICs in Bangladesh and elsewhere.