From the Ground Up

Coastal municipalities across the Asia and Pacific region are looking for solutions to worsening salinity levels in their water sources due to overextraction of groundwater and rising sea levels. The transition from groundwater to surface water or conjunctive use can be costly and technically complex. But it is possible, as proven by the Khulna Water Supply Project, cofinanced by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The coastal city of Khulna in Southwest Bangladesh developed a new surface water source and avoided the recurring high costs of desalination treatment technology. The project financed an entirely new system—from intake to tap—for 65% of the city’s population. The transformative changes from the project were possible with the newly established Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, only the third of its kind in the country.