ADB, Japan to help raise sustainable surface water use in Dhaka

The Asian Development Bank and the Government of Bangladesh yesterday signed a letter of agreement for $1 million in grant technical assistance (TA) to promote sustainable use of surface water for Dhaka city, says a press release.

The Government of Japan is financing the TA through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction while ADB will administer the fund, and provide technical support for project implementation. 

“Securing adequate amount and good quality surface water is vital for Dhaka's development as the groundwater table is falling rapidly," says Kazuhiko Higuchi, country director of ADB.

The TA will be implemented from November 2015 to October 2017. The Department of Environment will be the executing agency, and DWASA will be the partner agency.

The support includes developing a new surface water supply scheme including the development of a water intake at Meghna River, a raw water transmission pipeline, a water treatment plant at Gandharbpur with capacity of 500 million liters per day, and a treated water transmission pipeline to the existing water supply network.

However, ADB has been supporting the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) in providing more reliable and improved water supply services in Dhaka through two projects: Dhaka Water Supply Sector Development Program (a loan of $200 million) and Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project (a loan of $250 million).