Ray of hopes from Wasa

The construction work of Syedabad Water Treatment Plant phase-2 is to start in the first week of April.
On completion, which is expected to be in three years, it would reduce the capital's dependency on underground water.
Liyakat Ali, deputy managing director of Dhaka Wasa, said the target capacity of the plant is 22.5 crore litres of fresh water a day.
The process of setting up two more plants in Pagla of Keraniganj and in Khilkhet is also on. Once completed, these would halve the capital's dependency on underground water, said an official of Wasa.
Now, 87 percent of Dhaka Wasa's daily treated water supply, 190 crore litre, come from under ground.
A few months ago two deals were signed between Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority and Danish contractor MT Hojgaard to set up the phase-2 of Syedabad Water Treatment Plant.
They are now waiting for the signing of the loan agreement with the Danish government, said the official.
A pre-treatment unit will also be constructed under the project. The unit would work for phase-1 and phase-2 of the plant, which will use the water of the Shitalakkhya, said another official of Wasa.
After the installation of the pre-treatment unit, which would take a year, the residents of the city will get relief from the smelly supply water, said Liyakat.
According to the contract, Denmark will provide a loan worth around Tk 750 crore as a support for construction of the Syedabad Water Treatment Plant phase-2.
The phase-1 and Chandnighat water treatment plant supply about 22 crore and 4 crore litres of water against Wasa's total supply of about 190 crore litres a day. The rest come from 545 deep tubewells. The existing demand is over 220 crore litres a day.
It will take around Tk 3,000 to 3,500 crore to construct the Keraniganj treatment plant with a capacity of 45 crore litres a day, Liyakat said.
"We started a feasibility study with a cost of Tk 2 crore three months ago and it is expected to be completed in seven months," he said.
The water for this treatment plant will be brought in from Boidher Bazar of the Padma, he said.
A proposal has already been sent to the LGRD and cooperatives ministry and the government is now seeking foreign fund for the project.
A feasibility study for the Khilkhet water treatment plant, with a capacity of 50 crore litres a day, will be done soon under a Tk 1,465-crore project.
He said the plant will be constructed with an estimated cost of Tk 2,500 crore and water from the Meghna will be brought in for treatment.