THE WATER SECTOR IN BANGLADESH A short presentation on market potentials for Danish technology providers and investors

Transcription

1 THE WATER SECTOR IN BANGLADESH A short presentation on market potentials for Danish technology providers and investors

2 WATER POLUTION / LACK OF CLEAN WATER IS A MAJOR ISSUE BUT IT OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES Extensive local demand exists for technology suppliers offering: effluent treatment plant for industries etc. irrigation technology low cost and high efficient pumps etc. sewerage treatment technology solutions for smaller scale water purification technology at low costs technology for large scale water treatment investment in rural water supply pumping station/bottled water JUW1 2 having technology to improve water supply systems in general

3 Dias nummer 2 JUW1 Maybe: small and midsize solutions for water purification at low cost Jesper Ulbæk Wittorff;

4 A SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION The major sources of water whether for drinking, industrial or agricultural use are surface water (30%) and ground water (69%). Very little recycling/reuse of water is taking place The usage pattern of water can be broadly divided into: 96% for agricultural use, 3% for domestic use, 1% for industrial use Availability of clean water is one of the major challenges faced by Bangladesh along with an ongoing energy crisis and the poverty situation High economic and population growth has lead to extensive over usage of ground water. The water reserves and water mirrors are currently at the lowest point ever Arsenic in the ground water is another major issues. More than half of the 160 million people living in Bangladesh are exposed to arsenic and 20 million people are said to be exposed to excessive levels of arsenic pollution 3

5 UDENRIGSMINISTERIET, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF DENMARK PUMPS/TECHNOLOGIES FOR IRRIGATION CAN POSE A HUGH MARKET OPPORTUNITY 1.2 million irrigation pumps are in operation. 85% are diesel-driven consuming 800,000 tons of diesel annually An historical energy crisis in the country has spurred a strong growing interest for exploring solar irrigation solutions. A few pilot project have been launched and a large conversion process is expected Most pumps in use are low quality pumps with high power consumption. A significant market exists for providing energy efficient irrigation solution including high quality pumps 4

6 CURRENT PRACTICE IN ENSURING PURE DRINKING WATER AT HOUSEHOLD LEVELS 84% of structured water supply for drinking and industrial use is supplied by the private sector and the rest is mainly covered by Government WASA (Water and Sanitation Authority) is the government body responsible for supplying water to 6 city corporations and municipalities. So far very little participation or involvement of private sector companies have been seen in these geographical areas People in urban area, generally, boil the water for consumption Usage of filters for making the boiled water odor free is becoming a familiar trend especially in the rural area In the rural areas, people get drinkable water directly from hand pumps or tube-wells 5 Usage of bottled water (locally known as mineral water) for drinking purpose has been increasing significantly and paying for clean water has been accepted. Bottled water are mostly produced by local companies imports are negligible

7 ARSENIC IN BANGLADESH: THE LARGEST MASS POISONING OF A POPULATION IN HISTORY According to the latest surveys conducted at Government level, at least 53 out of the total 64 districts of Bangladesh are affected with Arsenic pollution Arsenic in the ground waters of Bangladesh is a significant health threat affecting up to half of the 160 million people living in the country. 20 million people are said to be exposed to excessive levels of arsenic. The situation has been labeled by the WHO as the largest mass poisoning of a population in history. Half the country s tube wells, now estimated to ~10 million, are today polluted according to WHO. Government, donor agencies and private initiatives have been working on implementing different measures like conservation of rain water, installing deep tube-wells and hand pumps to ensure safer drinking water 6 However, much more can be done in setting up e.g. water treatment plants in rural areas also on purely commercialized conditions

8 WATER POLLUTION - CASE EXAMPLE OF DHAKA: WHAT IS GOING ON? Dhaka faces the worst water pollution situation in the country due to unplanned overpopulation and city growth and also unplanned industrialization Dhaka City Cooperation, districts, industries, DWASA and everyone else are discharging untreated waste into the surface water around Dhaka industries in and around Dhaka are in total discharging about 1.3 million m3 of untreated or partly treated waste water per day Domestic hose holds discharge around 0.5 million m3 per day Onsite sanitation, pit latrines, septic tanks also adds waste loads as extracts are mostly discharged untreated into the rivers 7

9 WATER POLLUTION - CASE EXAMPLE OF DHAKA: SOME OF THE RESULTS Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in untreated surface water exceeds Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) of 50 mg/l Dissolved Oxygen falls below 1 mg/l during dry season in specific locations Some areas have heavy metals above the allowable limit for open water Ammonia concentration in 46% of the sample surface water from Dhaka exceeds EQS limit of 5mg/l Cadmium in Tanneries discharge sample 30.7 mg/l, EQS = 0.5 mg/l 8

10 COSTS OF WATER POLUTION IN BANGLADESH ARE SIGNIFCANT 9 JUW2 50% of families lost a full week/year due to water borne disease 63% farming households reported gradual decline of rice production productivity by 40% due to irrigation with arsenic infected water etc. GOB (DOE) estimates a total loss of US: $ 670 million in 2005 which may rise to US $ 4.5 billion per year by 2025 if no action is taken

11 Dias nummer 9 JUW2 50% of Bangladeshi families lose a full week of work each year due to water borne diseases Jesper Ulbæk Wittorff;

12 LIMITED FACILITIES EXISTS FOR WATER/SEWERAGE TREATMENT BUT PROJECTS ARE COMMING Only one Sewerage Treatment Plant. This plants has capacity of handling 10% of the total domestic sewage, but the plant is running at only 1/3 capacity Only one water treatment plant for drinking water is in operation, but a second plant is under construction funded by DANIDA Government is however planning three new large projects: Saidabad water treatment plant (phase iii). Land acquisition is ongoing. Total budget is 0.5 billion USD Pagla water treatment plant. Capacity is planned to 450 million millilitre /day Khilkhet water treatment plant. Capacity is planned to 500 million millilitre/day. 10