Water for the poor: Dhaka’s water utilities turnaround challenge
Providing public utilities services to slum areas has always been a significant public policy challenge in developing countries. Providing public utilities services to slum areas has always been a significant public policy challenge in developing countries. The capital city Dhaka of Bangladesh is a representative use case of sprawling slum neighborhoods on illegally encroached land, with few or no legal public utilities connections. Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, the Asian Development Bank, and other development partners, faced this challenge during one of the most ambitious public sector reform programs in the South Asia region. This case study discusses the challenges of providing public utilities, specifically water utility services, to low-income communities in megacities.
