WB clears $370m to clean Dhaka rivers, improve waste management

The World Bank (WB) has approved $370 million in financing to improve sanitation and solid waste management services to reduce water pollution and restore rivers and canals in and around Dhaka.

The Metro Dhaka Water Security and Resilience Program aims to strengthen the capacity of local and national institutions to curb pollution in greater Dhaka, a region that generates one-third of the country’s GDP and half of its formal employment, according to a press release.

The program introduces a results-based system to help city corporations and the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) deliver measurable improvements.

It is expected to provide safely managed sanitation services to 550,000 people and improve solid waste management to 500,000 people, focusing on communities most affected by service gaps.

“Waterbodies are the lifeline for millions of people in greater Dhaka. But rapid, unplanned urbanisation and industrial growth have outpaced the city's capacity to manage wastewater and pollution,” said Jean Pesme, World Bank division director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Currently, only about 20 percent of Dhaka residents have piped sewer connections, while over 80 percent of untreated wastewater is discharged into waterways. More than half of the city’s canals have disappeared or remain clogged.

The industrial sector also contributes significantly to the crisis. More than 7,000 factories release an estimated 2,400 million litres of untreated wastewater daily.

The program will mobilise private sector participation to scale up industrial effluent treatment and water reuse.

Harsh Goyal, WB senior water supply and sanitation specialist, said the phase will prioritise a comprehensive water quality index and digital real-time monitoring for four major Dhaka rivers.

The first phase will cover selected areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj, focusing on upgrading recycling systems and enforcing pollution-control measures to stop solid waste dumping and direct sewage discharge.