WASA to get 45 crore litres everyday from Padma

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Shafiqul Islam
Published : 12:14, Jul 12, 2018 | Updated : 12:33, Jul 12, 2018


Dhaka WASA.To meet the water shortage in Dhaka, the government has taken an initiative to bring water from Munshiganj after purifying it in Louhajang.
The government previously brought water from the rivers, Shitalkshya, Dholeshwari and Buriganga.
As subterranean water level is falling by 2 to 3 metres every year, there is the possibility for shortage in the future of drinking water. Therefore, a project has been taken to use surface water and supply Dhaka with 45 crore litres of purified water every day.
The project, Padma Water Purification (phase-2) will be implemented at a cost of Tk. 3670 crore 49 lakh.
Of this, the government’s own funds will provide Tk. 1243 crore 58 lakh and another Tk. 22 crore, while Tk. 2404 crore will come as project support, from Exim Bank of China.
The project under Dhaka Water Supply Authority, WASA, will be implemented by Jun 30, 2019.
Planning ministry sources say that development partner of the project Exim Bank, China, has appointed Chinese contractors, CME Engineering Company, to implement the project as per the conditions mentioned in an agreement with, Economic Relations Division, ERD, of the Bangladesh government.

The work began in Oct 2014, with a 42 month time period, but as there is a need to extend the time frame, the local government has submitted an amended proposal to the planning commission.
In implementing the project, 104 acres of land will be acquired and necessary equipment will be purchased, informed the planning ministry.
A few months ago, the PM inaugurated the project’s first phase and the project approved on 3 July at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, ECNEC, is the second amended project.
At the launching ceremony, the prime minister said: “once the second phase is completed, we will get an additional 45 crore litres of water.”
Against a demand of 212 crore litres of water in 2009, WASA got only 88 crore litres; From 2015 WASA has arranged 220 to 225 crore litres.
Commenting on the issue, planning minister, AHM Mustafa Kamal, said: “once the project is implemented, the shortage of drinking water will be met successfully.”

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