Another WASA project amidst two ongoing projects to meet Dhaka's water demand

The groundwater table is declining fast pushing the environment toward a serious risk. Yet, in such a situation, WASA is still relying on groundwater to meet demand for city dwellers.

Currently, construction work is underway on two surface water treatment plants. These will be commissioned in phases by 2028. But to meet the demand during this interim period, an initiative has been taken to install 388 deep tube wells. For this, another project titled "Emergency Water Supply in Dhaka City" is being undertaken. Its implementation cost has been estimated at Tk 804 crore 26 lakh. Of this, Tk 482 crore 55 lakh will be taken as a loan from the government, and Tk 321 crore 70 lakh will be received as government grants. A Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the project proposed by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives will be held on 19 July.

In this regard, an official of the Physical Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission told Agamir Somoy that various issues will be raised at the PEC meeting. Among these, the Medium-Term Budget Framework (MTBF) ceiling-related certificate has not been provided for the project. Because there is a rule to provide a certificate signed by the Secretary of the Local Government Division. Besides, according to the previous decision of ECNEC, a comparative statement of the sectors where costs have been reduced should have been provided. It will be asked why that was not given. There are several other issues as well. Recommendations will be made in light of those.

Abul Kashem Md. Mohiuddin, former secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), told Agamir Somoy that Dhaka WASA also has several successes. WASA is doing well in meeting the demand of the growing population in Dhaka. The two projects that are underway are very important. But the Planning Commission can examine why a new project for extracting groundwater is needed in the meantime. If necessary, it should be seen whether another new project is really needed by discussing with WASA's experts.

Sources say the project has been proposed to keep the existing water supply system stable on an emergency basis in the face of growing water demand in Dhaka metropolis. Under this, an additional 576 million liter of water per day (MLD) can be supplied beyond the current water supply system. Besides, pump operation and water supply system will be improved through the installation of a SCADA system. By ensuring safe drinking water supply while maintaining environmental balance, the quality of life of over 2 crore people in Dhaka metropolis will be improved.

In the project proposal, the Local Government Division has stated that Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) is the agency responsible for supplying potable water to the residents of Dhaka city and its adjacent areas. Currently, it produces and supplies 2,977 MLD of water from groundwater and surface water sources, meeting the water demand of approximately 2 crore city dwellers. At present, the ratio of groundwater to surface water production for Dhaka WASA is 66.34. Due to the rapid improvement in people's living standards and socio-economic conditions, their per capita water usage is increasing. If population growth continues, the water demand is projected to rise to approximately 3,558 MLD by 2029. In the current context, Dhaka WASA's vision is to reduce dependency on groundwater and supply surface water instead. To achieve this goal, construction work is underway on the Char Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant Phase-1 (500 MLD) and the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant Phase-3 (450 MLD). These are likely to be commissioned by 2026 and 2028 respectively. Therefore, an initiative has been taken to keep production at a tolerable level in line with the water demand of city residents until those two plants become operational. For this, the project has been proposed as an interim measure.

Proposed Key Features of the Project

A source from Dhaka WASA said that under the project, 388 deep tube wells will be installed at a cost of Tk 443 crore 71 lakh, along with pump motor sets. Additionally, 388 pump motor sets will be purchased at a cost of Tk 83 crore 80 lakh. Those 388 Variable Frequency Drives will be supplied and installed at a cost of Tk 29 crore 10 lakh. Furthermore, 418 sets of pump delivery lines will be installed at a cost of Tk 21 crore 73 lakh, 28,000 meters of electric cable will be supplied at a cost of Tk 18 crore 48 lakh, and 40,000 meters of column pipe will be supplied at a cost of Tk 18 crore 40 lakh. Besides, 250 pump houses will be constructed at a cost of Tk 18 crore 25 lakh, and 280 deep tube well re-generations along with ancillary activities will be implemented at a cost of Tk 17 crore 92 lakh.