RAJSHAHI, – The Rajshahi Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (RWASA) has started extending the water supply network to the households of marginal communities aimed at bringing them under the safe drinking water supply coverage.

To this end, pipeline installation works were opened at Sairgachha area with the target of expanding 4,000 meters pipeline from the Ward Number 1 to 10 in the city in the first phase.

“We are hopeful about successful completion of the works within the shortest possible time,” said Zakir Hossain, Managing Director of RWASA, while inaugurating the pipeline installation works Wednesday afternoon.

Illustrating aspects of the pipeline network expansion venture he told BSS that the RWASA is intended to supply water to households of all marginal communities in all 30 Wards of Rajshahi City Corporation.

Within the shortest possible time, the RWASA is also going to implement a mega project aimed at supplying safe drinking water among Rajshahi city dwellers.

Hossain said the project titled ‘Rajshahi WASA Surface Water Treatment Plant’ will be implemented with an estimated cost of Taka 4062.22 crore to remove the existing water supply related problems.

Chinese Government will extend a loan worth Tk 2313.59 crore as project assistance.

Rajshahi WASA authorities recently signed a four-year agreement with a Chinese company to set up the new surface water treatment plant to increase the surface-level water supply by reducing dependence on groundwater.

Under the project, raw water intake, treatment plant and booster pump station will be constructed. To this end, a total of 52.48 acres of land in Jothgosaidas and Sarengpur areas in Godagari Upazila and Balia area in Paba Upazila have already been acquired.

Zakir Hossain said the project has also provision of installing 53-kilometer main pipelines and 48- kilometer primary and secondary distribution pipelines for initiating a strong water supply network.

The mega project has been adopted to supply fresh drinking water under a 40-year water supply management master plan.

Giving a salient feature of the project, he said the project will carry water through pipelines from the Padma River, purify it and then supply to city houses.

The surface water-based plant with capacity of treating 20-crore liter water daily will be set up at Farhadpur, 26.5 kilometers west from the city under Godagari upazila.

From this water purification plant, fresh drinking water will be supplied to all 30 wards in Rajshahi City Corporation and its surrounding areas as well as 11 wards of Katakhali and Naohata municipal areas.

All old pipelines and hydrants of the city will also be repaired and renovated under the project.

He also said the RWASA has, so far, brought more than 4.04 lakh city dwellers under its water supply coverage.

“So far, we have brought 73.28 percent of Rajshahi city’s total population around 6.52 lakh population under the water supply coverage,” RWASA Managing Director Zakir Hossain said.

Currently, 7.78-crore liters water is being extracted through 96 production pumps in all 30 wards under Rajshahi City Corporation daily against total demand of 11.33-crore liters.

There are 712.50-kilometer pipelines to distribute the extracted water.

The government has adopted the mega project to remove the city’s water problem. Under the project, water from the Padma River will be supplied to households for only drinking purposes after necessary treatment.

Upon successful implementation, the project will ensure customer satisfaction according to water demand through boosting supply from 71 percent to 100 percent average daily consumption until 2035.