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Manoj Sharma. The Dhaka Water Services Turnaround
The Dhaka Water Services Turnaround
Turnaround
a complete change from a bad situation to a good situation, from one way of thinking to an opposite way of thinking, etc
“We were a water-crisis city. It was a very difficult period, and we needed a total turnaround.”
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Hun Kim
THE DHAKA TURNAROUND STORY. A Shining Example of South–South Learning
A CITY, A UTILITY IN WATER CRISIS. Turning Problem into Opportunity
“We had a permanent booking at the cholera hospital.”
DWASA’s Six Core Problems Shared by Other Urban Utilities in Asia
“They built toilets in the school after the project, at their own cost.”
ADB Applies Lessons to Design of Dhaka Water Program
SECTOR TURNAROUND. Dhaka-centric Investment Pushes Reforms across the Sector
Policy Conditions Behind the Program Loan
Turning Points
SYSTEM TURNAROUND. How DWASA Used Scale to Deliver on Promises, Expand Services to the Poor
“Our facility before the project was not like this—tiled, and with lighting and temperature controls. Now it is a controlled environment, and this is very important. We are able to test and justify our results much better.”
District Metered Areas: The Momentum for DWASA’s Turnaround
“We would visit other labs and they had all this equipment (for high-quality water testing) that we did not have before the project. But now we do, and we’re very proud of this.”
Pilot Project Features
“Before, we had one system. Now, we have 145 clusters, or DMAs. It’s an in-and-out system. We know exactly what is going into an area and what’s going out. It’s all measured.”
“We are still struggling. But we’re also making progress and we are now at least a standard lab. My dream is for this lab to be a reference lab—with accreditations.”
The Basics of the District Metered Area (DMA) Approach. Benefits
Primary Criteria
Secondary Criteria
How DWASA Established DMAs
DMA Design Features
Major Control Parameters
Results
Key Physical Works
How Trenchless Technology Became the Status Quo
“If we cut off their water for even an hour, they would make us stop working. We had to explain to them that the smaller pipes were creating more pressure. We had to give them our word that if they had a problem, they could come directly to us.”
Connecting the Poor: A Game-Changer for DWASA
Common Descriptive Criteria for Defining Slums
“They said, ‘Oh, those are slums. We can’t include them.’ [But] if we don’t connect slums, how will the ADB project help the poor?”
Uphill Battle to Connect the Poor
“If illegal connections are not dealt with, illegal pumping and pilferage will continue, affecting the pressure in other areas of the system and hurting paying customers. You should just turn those water thieves into regular customers.”
“Building water storage and treatment plants without the proper distribution network can be like pouring water into a leaking pot. We have to do things differently. Networks—we must make sure they work properly and also benefit the poor.”
Expanding Design to Extend Services to the Poor
“Water was the biggest issue. There wasn’t enough for the residents’ daily needs. We had to use two pumps to get water to the top floors. Now we use only one pump and have no water problem.”
Korail and Shattola Slums Are Successfully Connected
“This project caught us by surprise. No other donors except ADB had been willing to demand and get legal connections for these slum communities.”
Startup Challenges in Low-Income Communities
“Some people who were making money off the water crisis really disrupted our work at the start. They tried to discourage us from taking on the project. They even threatened us with guns, but we were steadfast. They demanded things, money, but we gathered support until there were many of us. Then nothing they did could bother us.”
“At first, the people did not understand the benefits. They didn’t give us space or time or attention. They did not believe we could get water from DWASA. So we told them, ‘Just let us do our job and you will see.’ We convinced them day by day.”
Success Stories
Multiplier Effects
“Customers are now willing to pay their bills. I no longer hear complaints about the quality of the water or the price.”
“If they had given up and been afraid, their development would have stalled. They wouldn’t have all that they have now.”
“Before, if you asked me to go to Korail slum, I would say, ‘No, I can’t. I’m afraid to go there.’ I knew they didn’t have water. But now, anyone from DWASA can go to Korail. The people there will keep us safe. They know we mean well.”
“Before the project, we had water only 12 hours a day and it was dirty. We couldn’t sell our ice sometimes because the color of the water was bad. Now we have water 24 hours a day and it’s clean. Our sales have increased.”
SERVICE TURNAROUND. DWASA Turns Spotlight on Staff, Customers
New Vision, Mission
Training a Pro-People Workforce
“This is South–South learning at its best.”
Service Minded is People Minded
“I’ve learned some new things in the training: how to behave with customers. I have to know the problem to find the solution. I’ve learned to be friendly, to listen to their problems with patience.”
“If we don’t get water, then customer service doesn’t really matter, does it? But we get water, and paying the bill is easy.”
New Training Courses
Elements of the Human Resource Development Plan
Financial Management Improvements
Scope of Corporate Planning Improvements
Financial Performance over Politics
Water Operators Partnerships: Are They Right for Your Utility?
Transparency and Customer Relations
DWASA Breaks Ground with Self-Initiated Gender Strategy
“This project has been groundbreaking for gender relations in Bangladesh.… I have been working for 33 years, and yet I was surprised at how frank the participants were. The training went very smoothly because of that.”
NGOs Fill Unique Role, Make Distinct Contribution as Communicators
“The gender strategy for DWASA is working. It promotes the rights of women, and even gives preference to them in the hiring process. Of course, women must be competitive, too.”
Awareness-Raising Topics
Stakeholders
Strategic Approaches
Starting the Conversation
Social Impact of the Project
FUTURE TURNAROUND. Momentum, Fresh Investments Propel DWASA Forward
“We were a water-crisis city, but we’re coming out of that now.”
“People shouldn’t have to drink bottled water. By 2021, we want to be able to give you a glass of tap water and say, ‘Drink this.’ Now, we can’t. The water is drinkable at the treatment source, but there are still issues in the network.”
Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project
“The project included support for the feasibility study and bid document preparation for network improvement in two more zones to enhance future project readiness. Slow-startup issues were addressed. So this was a very good sequence of activities.”
Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project
“This is not an easy task. It requires institutional transformation.”
