ASSESSMENT OF PER CAPITA WATER DEMAND IN DHAKA CITY

Abstract

The world's most densely inhabited metropolis, Dhaka, requires enormous volumes of water every day due to climate change, pollution, and groundwater extraction. In this study we evaluated the water use per person and the differences in water use between the wet and dry seasons in various wards of Dhaka city. We have also analyzed the overall water consumption's breakdown and estimated the possibilities for household supply recycling and reuse. The water usage throughout the summer and winter seasons was calculated by dividing the city of Dhaka into 12 divisions, or wards, while considering the middle class and upper middle-class neighborhoods. Shukrabad, Mohammadpur, Pallabi, Ibrahimpur, Dakshin Khan and Bakshi Bazar Lane were chosen to estimate the water demands. Two sites, Mirpur 1 and Pallabi, were chosen to analyze indoor home water consumption. The average values from the days' worth of data are used for a thorough study. Greywater was collected from Mirpur 1 and Pallabi for qualitative analysis. Eight water quality parameters were tested in the 'Environmental Engineering Laboratory' of Military Institute of Science and Technology. From our analysis we can see that the highest per capita consumption in Shukrabad beside Dhanmondi area, which is significantly greater than the estimate, is 631.5 liters during summer and 469.36 liters during the winter. Pallabi, Ibrahimpur, and Dakshinkhan per capita use is significant but nearly twice as high as the estimate. Additionally, consumption in BakshiBazar is higher than these places. Such high rates of water use are caused by a variety of variables. Families with higher incomes typically use more water-intensive equipment such as washing machines, dishwashers and different types of cleaning tools which increases water use. These data show that the demand for water is nearly 1.36 times more in the wet season than the dry season. From the lab tests we observed that floor cleaning water can be reused which is 8.5% of gray water or 1.68% of total usage of water. Also 91.491% of grey water or 18.065% of total consumption of water can be recycled. In certain areas of Dhaka, the consumption of water is reasonable, but in most areas, water is consumed more than is necessary. The water consumption of slums could not be measured. According to laboratory testing, gray water may be recycled after being used for cleaning floors.