Supplying water to the urban poor : processes and challenges of community-based water governance in Dhaka city

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the processes and complexities of community participation in a water supply project for the urban informal poor in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reviews the performance of a community-based water governance entitled Dushtha Shasthya Kendra Model. The Model includes the local urban poor community with the formal urban service providers in the process of water supply. Using a case study of Karail slum in Dhaka, the paper affirms the potential of community engagement for successful implementation of water supply project by the formal organizations. Findings: The opportunity of community participation by the urban poor helps them to be engaged with the formal organizations. Community engagement not only offers them access to water supply but also ensure formal/legal existence in the city. Despite the fact, the community initiative in the slum faces huge locally situated political and socioeconomic challenges. Addressing these complexities with a proper management may still provide a successful community-based effort for water supply to the urban poor in the slums. Originality/value: The paper presents a case study of water supply system for the informal poor. Water scarcity in the slum is a serious problem in Dhaka city, though the formal authorities often forget the issue during policy making and planning. This study certainly offers a better understanding of complexity and potentiality of community-based water governance, which may further ensure community participation as well as equal access to water by the urban poor.