BCC's unpaid bill keeps 2 new water plants idle

Two new water treatment plants in Barisal city cannot go into operation due to a lack of the electricity connection.

Barisal City Corporation is entrusted with the operation of the plants, constructed in Beltala and Rupatali by Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) with a cost of Tk 50 crore.

Lutfar Rahman, sub-assistant engineer of PHED in Barisal, said the plants with a total capacity of producing 3.2 crore litres of water daily would get water from the river Kirtankhola.

Around 95 percent of the construction work of the water treatment plant in Beltala has completed, while 30 percent of the work of the other plant remains incomplete, he said.

SM Shohidul Alam, executive engineer of PHED in Barisal, said they had a target to start the water treatment plants between June and August.

There may be a delay in the start of the operation as they cannot get electricity right now for trial of the machineries, he added.

Manirul Alam Swapan, executive engineer of the water supply department at BCC, said they had appealed to Power Development Board for electricity connections a month ago.

It is not possible to give new power connections to BCC until it pays the due electricity bills of Tk 13 crore to PDB, said Hasan Ali Talukdar, superintending engineer of Barisal's West Zone Power Distribution Company run by PDB.

Manirul Alam Swapan said currently they could supply 1.5 crore litres of water to the city dwellers against the total demand of 4.5 crore per day.

BCC Mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal said they were trying to pay the due electricity bills in phases.

He said Tk 12 crore became overdue during the tenure of the last mayor, Shawkat Hossain Hiron, while his tenure owed Tk 1 crore.