Dhaka"s groundwater level at the lowest in 11 yrs
| Low on water |
| Little groundwater recharging a cause |
 |
According to the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (wasa), the groundwater table was at 11.3m below the surface in the 1970s and at 20m in the 1980s. However, water level has drastically fallen since 1996 (see graph: Low on water). Between 1996 and 2007, the city's groundwater level declined at a rate of over three metres a year.
badc researchers blame it on the city's increasing population and little groundwater recharging over the years. Most of the city's wetlands and river banks have now been encroached for construction, barring full recharging of groundwater in the monsoons, say the researchers.
Unchecked surface water pollution has also prompted people to depend on groundwater heavily; the number of deep tube-wells in the city has gone up from 234 in 1998 to over 400 now.
The demand for water in Dhaka