Project to reduce dependence on groundwater

To meet the demand for drinking water in Dhaka city, the government has taken an initiative to set up a well field at Singair upazila in Manikganj.
This project will supply an additional 150 million litres of water per day alongside Wasa's regular supply in Dhaka city, said Taqsem A Khan, managing director (MD) of Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Costing around Tk 450 crore, this initiative represents the second part of a project titled "Well field construction project for immediate supplement to city water supply" aimed at reducing dependence on groundwater in Mirpur area, he said.
This second part is to be implemented with the financial and technical support of the Malaysian government.
The matter was disclosed when an 18-member Malaysian delegation led by Dato Seri S Samy Vellu, special envoy of Malaysia to India and South-Asia, called on Jahangir Kabir Nanak, state minister for LGRD and cooperatives, yesterday.
The Malaysian government is positive about financing the second part that will be completed within the next two years, said the Wasa MD, who attended the meeting.
The first part of the project at Tetuljora and Bhakurta unions in Savar, also costing around Tk 450 crore, will be implemented with the financial support of the Korean government, he said.
The 300 million litres of water to be generated from the two-part project will be supplied to the Mirpur area to reduce the groundwater extraction there, he said.
LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan and Malaysian High Commissioner in Dhaka Jamaluddin bin Sebeh also attended the meeting.
Currently, Wasa's water supply to Dhaka constitutes 87 percent from groundwater sources and 13 percent from surface water treatment plants.