When the tap runs dry, will we finally clean our rivers?

Imagine turning on your kitchen faucet and hearing only air. It might sound dramatic, but in Dhaka, where groundwater levels have been dropping by 2-3 meters each year due to over-extraction and poor recharge, this could be a real future. Although rivers surround Dhaka, the city is uncertain about its next water source. The irony would be amusing if we weren't pumping water from depths of 60 to 75 meters.

For decades, Dhaka treated groundwater as if it were limitless. When surface water became polluted, we drilled deeper. When shallow aquifers fell, we called it progress and drilled again. In the 1970s, groundwater was accessible at depths of less than 1 meter; today, in many areas, freshwater is found more than 60 meters below the surface. This trend does not represent development but rather a retreat into the earth.

Approximately 75% of Dhaka's natural recharge zones are now covered by concrete. Official monitoring indicates that groundwater levels are declining by 2–3 meters per year due to over-extraction and insufficient recharge. If this trend persists, water tables may reach depths of 100–120 meters by 2050, rendering extraction increasingly expensive, energy-intensive, and unsustainable.

The deeper we pump, the more energy it takes, much like rising electricity tariffs. Each additional metre of depth raises power demand, quietly inflating household and industrial water bills. The water may still be there, but soon it could be too deep, too costly, or too risky to use.

Dhaka WASA currently extracts approximately 3.3 million cubic meters of groundwater daily, equivalent to filling about 20 cricket stadiums. Despite longstanding plans to transition to surface water, the majority of the city's supply remains sourced from underground. Thousands of unregulated private wells in factories and residential complexes further exacerbate the issue, while rainwater is diverted into drains instead of recharging aquifers.

This crisis will not arrive overnight. Taps will not suddenly run dry. Instead, pumps will operate at higher capacity, energy costs will rise, and new buildings will be designed for deeper wells rather than green spaces. Slow crises are easy to ignore until they are no longer sluggish.

Dhaka has always had an alternative: its rivers. The Buriganga, Turag, Balu, and Shitalakkhya once served as vital lifelines. Currently, these rivers rank among the most polluted waterways globally. According to a Daily Sun report, rivers such as the Buriganga are contaminated with heavy metals, including chromium, iron, and zinc, resulting from industrial discharges, untreated sewage, and urban runoff. The complexity and cost of cleaning this water have led to its neglect.

Instead, we dug deeper.

This logic feeds on itself. We polluted rivers because groundwater was readily available. As we drilled to escape pollution, we further neglected the rivers. Now that aquifers are under stress, restoring rivers seems too costly.

It was always costly. We postponed paying the price.

Dhaka does not need to invent a survival strategy from scratch. Cities elsewhere have demonstrated that groundwater protection is feasible before a crisis. In Orange County, California, the Groundwater Replenishment System treats wastewater to an exceptionally high standard and recharges aquifers with about 320,000 acre-feet of water annually. 

Key policies supporting this system include strict water-recycling mandates and financial incentives for the use of recycled water, demonstrating how governance can effectively advance environmental sustainability. The technology exists. What is often missing is political will.

Rainwater harvesting offers another practical solution. Community and building-level systems can capture monsoon rainfall and channel it back into aquifers. Over the past 30 years, Dhaka's built-up area has expanded by nearly 288%, whereas water bodies have declined by about 60%. Recharging groundwater is no longer optional; it is essential urban infrastructure.

Industry must also be part of this conversation. In the industrial belts around Gazipur and Narayanganj, an estimated 6,000 factories extract large volumes of groundwater daily, contributing to annual declines in the water table of 2–3 metres. In these areas, industry accounts for approximately 30% of groundwater use, exceeding the city's own use.

The government has begun responding by charging industries for groundwater use, categorising them by extraction levels, and encouraging recycling. This is not against business; it is sound risk management. Some companies are already adapting. Fakir Knitwears in Narayanganj, for example, has implemented a water-reuse project that cuts freshwater extraction by about 30% and recycles more than 438,000 cubic metres of water annually.

To scale this effort citywide, policymakers could offer tax incentives to companies that implement water-reuse technologies or meet established recycling benchmarks. Additionally, mandating water-reuse projects in industrial building codes and creating a certification program for businesses investing in substantial water conservation can encourage broader adoption. Such measures not only reduce strain on groundwater resources but also foster a culture of sustainability within the industrial sector.

This is not charity. It is about safeguarding operations, ecosystems, and long-term viability.

Recommended actions

We do not need miracles, only decisions we keep delaying.

• Make rainwater harvesting and recharge systems mandatory in new buildings, industrial zones, and infrastructure projects.
• Prioritise treated surface water by investing in river restoration instead of drilling deeper repeatedly.
• Protect wetlands and open spaces as vital water infrastructure, not as vacant land for development.
• Regulate and price industrial groundwater use to promote reuse and alternative sources.
• Incorporate managed aquifer recharge into urban planning, drawing from global best practices.

Dhaka will not wake up one morning to empty taps. But by the time shortages are severe enough to cause panic, it will be too late for gradual solutions.

So, the question is not whether we can clean our rivers. The real question is whether we will act before groundwater runs out or only after scarcity becomes a crisis. Because water, unlike excuses, will not wait forever.

Shafiq R Bhuiyan writes on how communication, culture, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) converge to shape a more conscious and compassionate society.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.