Assessing water supply for the urban poor in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding about sources of water for the urban poor in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh. It evaluates water supply performances to identify priority areas of water supply for further improvement. The paper also illustrates whether location of slums in the city has a connection with water supply facilities or not.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a case study of water supply for the urban slum dwellers. Based on a questionnaire survey, it evaluates performances of water supply following a holistic framework for assessing dimensions of water supply system among three slum zones of Rajshahi city. The dimensions of water supply are as follows: technical, biophysical, political, institutional, economic and social.

Findings

The research finds that most of the slum dwellers do not have reliable and sufficient access to water supply. The performance of water supply is location specific, and all of the slums do not have equal access to all dimensions of water supply. Overall performance of water supply is moderate, but individual performances of dimensions are unsatisfactory and unequal among the slums.

Practical implications

The paper suggests location-specific identification of strengths and weaknesses of water supply for the poor. It consolidates a performance evaluation method for identifying priority areas and needs of the urban poor for making Rajshahi city more inclusive and sustainable.

Originality/value

The paper provides an assessment of water supply performance for the urban poor in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh.

Citation

Shuaib, A.S.M. and Rana, M.M.P. (2020), "Assessing water supply for the urban poor in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-06-2019-0138