Water Treatment Urban Solution

The goal of our water treatment solution is to remove all contaminants in the water, or to greatly reduce the contaminants in the water so that it is fit for its desired end-use.  Water treatment facilities provide an all encompassing solution that will aid the switch from groundwater to surface water sources, clean up the surface water, and prevent waterborne diseases and improve overall sanitation and hygiene. 

One form of water treatment will come in the form of water purification.  Since there is no standardized process for the water purification for drinking water, a generalized process that is used by both public and private water purification industries will be used.  This process combines pre-chlorination for algae and biological growth control, aeration to remove dissolved iron and manganese, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, desalination, and disinfection.  In order to supply urban Bangladesh with uncontaminated and cheap drinking water, medium-scale water treatment plants will need to be implemented through out its cities.  In its capital city Dhaka, approximately 300 medium-scale water treatment plants will be implemented to supply the city with contamination-free drinking water.  Implementation of these plants could cost on the oder of $300,000 USD. These water treatment plants can provide Bangladeshi's one liter of safe drinking water for two cents.   

Another form of water treatment in Bangladesh will come in the form of wastewater treatment.  To increase the availability of safe water it is crucial that Bangladesh uses surface water rather than groundwater.  To ensure this switch in use, the surface water needs to be cleaned up.  Due to everyday practices and the Bangladeshi culture, the surface water is extremely contaminated.  Instead of the people having to contaminate the surface water with their waste, excrement, and various other contaminants from washing dishes and clothes, etc., they will have bathhouses both public and private where they can go to perform their everyday activities.  From the bathhouses, the black water will go to waste water treatment facilities.  The most effective way to rid the surface water of the contaminants is through waste water treatment facilities.  Wastewater treatment removes solids, reduces organic matter and pollutants, and restores oxygen in the water.  Wastewater comes from household wastes such as toilets, baths, and washing clothes.  Waste water also comes from industry, schools, and business through chemical and other wastes from factories, food-service operations, hospitals, shopping centers, etc.,  The Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, in Chicago IL, is said to be the largest sewage treatment plant in the US.  It severs a 260-sq. mile area, and supplies 2.5 million people.  It can treat up to 1,440 million gallons of sewage per day and is treated in the 166 tanks on its large-scale 570-acre site.  The amount of water used by the average resident of Chicago is 123 gallons per day.  This water usage is equivalent to the water usage of around ten Bangladeshis.  To supply the 10 principal cities of Bangladesh, four large-scale wastewater treatment facilities will be needed; one in Chittagong, another in Dhaka, one in Khulna, and another in the north to supply the northwestern cities.  The cost of these facilities will be upwards of multimillion's USD.  The money will be provided by various NGO’s, UN-related organizations, and Governmental organizations and programs.  There is no set price for the overall solution because water infrastructure in the form of pipe lines, faucets, etc., will also be needed in the cities.  

Drawbacks and Unintended Consequences

The biggest issue facing water treatment facilities is funding.  Potentially the funds could be there to implement these water treatment solutions, however it is not known where the funds will specifically come from.  We believe that World Bank will be a big stakeholder, however nothing is set in stone.  In addition, with the implementation of the different plants and facilities unintended consequences could arise such as issues dealing with funding, workers, and weather.  The oversight and maintenance of the different machines and facilities presents drawbacks because those in charge will need to be educated on the proper functioning of the equipment, and how to deal with problems and issues when they arise.  Another big drawback that will need to be carefully assessed is the Bangladeshi culture and how the switch to using public bathhouses instead of the surface water will be made without fundamentally changing their culture.  It is unrealistic to assume that faucets and bathrooms will be implemented into every household in urban Bangladesh.  Instead public water pumps will need to be implemented throughout the cities to provide safe consumable water.  An issue that may arise with this is the cleanliness of the pumps.  To address this issue, small scale water treatment in the form of iodine tablets or drops will need to be provided, again bringing back the issue of funding.  

Time Frame

Theoretically, if these water treatment facilities start being implemented tomorrow, it could take ten years to have fully functioning water treatment facilities.  However, due to various drawbacks such as funding, location of the facilities, and agreements it could take up to 15 years to fully be implemented.   

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