Water crisis in Dhaka to end

There will be no water crisis in the capital from today as the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant is set to double its production.
The 10-year-old plant's capacity has been enhanced by 22.5 crore litres a day under its phase-II project, Taqsem A Khan, managing director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), told a press conference at Wasa Bhaban yesterday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to launch the production in the plant's new phase today.
With the commissioning of the new phase, Dhaka Wasa's daily water supply capacity will increase to 242 crore litres and dependency on groundwater will come down to 78 percent from 87 percent, mentioned Taqsem.
Dhaka Wasa currently has 632 deep tube wells. The underground water table is depleting alarmingly in the capital every year as most of the city's 225 crore litre demand is met by underground water.
The MD said they have a plan to reduce the dependency on groundwater to 30 percent by 2021.
To achieve the target, construction of three more water treatment plants is underway.
The plants are Padma-Jasholdi treatment plant with a capacity of 45 crore litre, Sayedabad phase-III treatment plant with a capacity of 45 crore litre and Khilkhet water treatment plant with a capacity of 50 crore litre per day.