Asraful Islam Asraf
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam said the government is working relentlessly to meet the increasing water demand in the Dhaka metropolitan area in the future.

He said this while inspecting the intake pumping station of Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant project being implemented by Dhaka WASA in Narayanganj today.

The minister said several projects including Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant and Saidabad Water Treatment Plant (Phase-3) are underway at the initiative of Dhaka WASA. If these are implemented, there will be no problem in supplying water to Dhaka city dwellers and industrial factories. It will be possible to address the increasing demand for water in Dhaka city now and in the coming days. The project to supply water to Dhaka through treatment by drawing water from the Meghna River will be completed in 2023 and it will be able to supply 50 crore liters of water per day, he said.

The minister further said that water from various rivers including Meghna river is being decontaminated through water treatment. WASA’s responsibility is to reach the water reserve in the homes of the citizens of Dhaka city and the organization is able to do that.

Mentioning that it is not possible to take the amount of water from Padma-Jashaldia treatment plant to Dhaka city as there is no connection line, Md. Tajul Islam said, work is underway to bring all the water produced from that plant to the city and deliver it to people’s homes. A foreign company has offered to provide financial support for this supply line. If not, the government will set up this water connection line with its own funds.

Asked whether the Gandhabpur project, like the Padma-Jashaldia project, was progressing without a connection line, the minister said the same thing would not happen in the project. Because the work of building water treatment plant and connection line is going on in parallel.

He said all WASAs, city corporations, public health engineering departments, municipalities and other agencies including Dhaka under the local government department are working tirelessly to bring water to the people. As a result, more than 98 percent of the people in the country are now getting potable water.

The minister said 100 economic zones are being created on the special initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Different types of factories including industries will be set up in these. Where extensive watering will be required. The ministry is also working to meet this demand.

During this time he toured the various activities of the intake pumping station. Later, a BIWTA ship inspected the Meghna River’s encroachment and pollution prevention activities.

WASA Managing Director Taksim A Khan, Member of Parliament Nazrul Islam Babu, Ambassadors of Germany, France and Denmark, Country Director of ADB and KFW and Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj were present during the visit.