Objective
This project aims to demonstrate how innovative smartphone-based water quality testing and easy access to data can improve water quality management decisions. This will be achieved by working in close collaborations with the key stakeholders responsible for Dhaka’s water supply, the Department of Environment (DoE) and Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (DWASA). This project’s focus is improving access to safe drinking water and water quality data management, which will in turn impact water governance and water security.
Added value of the project
- Water quality management decisions will be data-driven;
- Creation of a practice-based framework for improved water quality management in urban deltas;
- Project is complementary to existing institutional strengthening efforts, already funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB);
- Increase chances of future upscaling to the entire Meghna River and other rivers in Bangladesh and India due to early involvement of key stakeholders; and
- Strengthen the position of the Deltares-Akvo consortium in Bangladesh and abroad.
For this project, the team of both Dutch and Bangladeshi partners are complementary. Deltares, as project leader, has excellent knowledge related to water quality and project management. Deltares is currently leading an ADB project “Strengthening Monitoring and Enforcement in the Meghna River for Dhaka's Sustainable Water Supply” and has been active in Bangladesh for a number of years. The knowledge and experience about the local situation and project management in Bangladesh will be beneficial for this project. Deltares will also help strengthen Akvo’s position in Bangladesh by introducing them to relevant stakeholders.
Akvo, as project partner, provides an innovative, low-cost data collection tool using a smartphone (Akvo Caddisfly) that perfectly enables to collect large amounts of water quality and other relevant data with the involvement of local stakeholders.
The local subcontractors have specialised knowledge on water quality (Enviro Consultants Ltd., ECL) and knowledge dissemination (International Training Network Centre - Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, ITN-BUET), and are already active in monitoring in the area.
Currently, no other solution exists which is capable of testing a wide array of parameters on a mobile phone combined with an online data platform to further process and visualize data, making it instantly and always readily available. This approach is innovative because it combines Akvo’s mobile data collection technology and experience with gathering vast amounts of water quality data and Deltares’ proven expertise with data management and visualization to provide decision-makers with easily accessible and useful information. The project will be implemented in close collaboration with local stakeholders to maximize project uptake. Both Deltares and the local partners have already established an excellent working relationship with the two beneficiaries of this project, DoE and DWASA.
You can find out more about the project team here, about the project description here, and about the progress and results here.
