Groundwater Depletion in Dhaka City, Bangladesh: A Spatio-temporal Analysis

Abstract:

Dhaka city, having a population of more than fifteen million, exclusively depends on groundwater as a source of quality drinking water. In recent decades the city is encountering groundwater diminution and the declining scenario is dissimilar in different parts of the city. This paper aims to discuss the groundwater depletion in different parts of Dhaka city from 1990 to 2012 along with the causes and consequences. Groundwater level data of different locations of Dhaka city were collected from Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). The data were processed and analyzed using SPSS and Excel Worksheet; a contour map was generated using ArcGIS 10.0 to outline the contemporary groundwater scenario of Dhaka city and the spatial analyst tool, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) was used to prepare the map. In addition, experts’ opinions were collected using an in-depth interview strategy in order to provide a better understanding of the causes and consequences of groundwater depletion. The research results show that groundwater in Dhaka city is depleting at an alarming rate; the central part has the worst situation followed by the south-western part. In contrast, northern part has relatively better groundwater condition. Moreover, the peripheral zone exhibits a better condition because of the existence of rivers and wetlands. The interviews reveal that population density and overexploitation are mainly responsible for groundwater depletion; however, various other factors such as the deliberate establishment of deep tube wells, reduction of recharge capacity due to rapid growth of urban structures altogether results in huge drop of water level throughout the city. Rapid decline in groundwater augments the city’s exposure towards multiple risks including land subsidence, groundwater pollution and most importantly, paucity of available fresh water that might ultimately results into an urban disaster. Potential solutions to ameliorate this situation include urban greening, rainwater harvesting at household level, population management, awareness building etc.