Shortage of usable water still remains as one of the most severe crisis in most developing countries around the world. Khulna, a city in Bangladesh which has been suffering from a water crisis for years and as a result, its residents have been the subjects of immense suffering. The situation was further aggravated due to the severe salinity of the two major rivers in the region Bhairab and Rupsha.

But bad times are over, and we are filled with optimism since a scheme to supply 110 million liters of safe water to half of Khulna city?s residents is in the process of implementation. The project will be implemented as soon as early 2017.

This project aims to augment the water of the Modhumoti River through treatment to the water distribution network in the southwestern divisional city to ensure drinkable water free of salinity.In addition, this project will ensure safe and potable water to as much 0.8 million people in the region who still remain outside the formal coverage. This will be a significant milestone in social progress as it would translate to fewer water borne diseases as well as an improvement in the quality of life in the region.

This project was developed by the Bangladesh Government with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). who have designed this efficient and effective scheme for tackling one of the major constraints of development. ADB is supporting five components under this project which are: setting up clean water transmission pipeline, including river crossing and seven distribution reservoirs.It has been claimed that this project has been designed while keeping the impact of climate change in mind, however, this is debatable to some extent. 

Based on the success of this project, similar projects should be adopted and replicated in all urban areas. Doing so will help make life easier for millions of people and eventually help Bangladesh to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).