Dhaka WASA Managing Director Engineer Taksim A Khan expressed hope that the groundwater pressure would be reduced after the completion of Saidabad Water Treatment Plant and Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant.
"Once our Saidabad Phase-3 and Gandhabpur projects are completed, we will be able to ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly water supply lines," he said. Then the surface water source will be 70 percent and the ground water source will be only 30 percent. Of these two projects, the Gandhabpur project will be completed in December 2023 and the Saidabad Phase-3 project will be completed by 2024. Therefore, by 2025, Dhaka WASA will reduce its groundwater supply and increase its dependence on surface water, he said.
On Saturday (February 6), the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Tajul Islam visited the progress of the construction project of a water treatment plant with a capacity of 50 crore liters per day in the first phase at Dhaka WASA's own place at Gandharbpur on the east bank of the Shitalakshya river in Rupganj.
WASA Managing Director said this in response to a question from reporters after the visit.
WASA MD said, "We have five treatment plants to ensure water supply, one of which is Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant." It will be completed by 2023. Our main goal is to make the water management of Dhaka city environment friendly by reducing the excess of surface water. After the completion of Gandhabpur and Saidabad Phase-3, we will be able to reach the desired goal. In other words, we will ensure 70 percent surface water and 30 percent ground water supply. Now it has 66 percent groundwater and 34 percent surface water. If these two projects are implemented, the opposite will happen and the dependence on surface water will increase which will be environmentally friendly, sustainable and people-oriented.
Summary of the project:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Gandhabpur Water Treatment Plant on October 10, 2019. The project was scheduled to expire in June 2021. However, it has now been extended to December 2023. The cost has increased to about 300 million dollars, or about 3 thousand crore.
"Yes, the cost has gone up by about 300 million," he said. Most of this increase has been in land acquisition. He said, "Our master plan for water supply was formulated in 2012." Gandhabpur was in that master plan. Drawing design and funding of this treatment plant has started from 2015-16. We received the fund in 2019. The term was basically till 2021. Since it has started in late, its term has been extended till 2023.
Asked why he had come so far to have a river near Dhaka, he said, "I came here for a good reason." MD throws the opposite question as to what is the condition of Buriganga water. That is why we come so long distance without purifying water from the rivers around Dhaka. However, we are hopeful that when the Buriganga water will be improved we will take water from the Buriganga again for treatment.
Project Director Mahmud Hossain said the project was originally started in 2014. At that time the cost of the project was estimated at Tk 5,100 crore and it was supposed to be completed by December 2020. Then it was extended to June 2021. Now it has been extended again till December 2023. The expenditure has increased to 8 thousand 100 crore. The Project Director has claimed 30 percent of the current progress of the project.
The purpose of the project:
Establishment of intake / pumping station with capacity of 105 crore liters of untreated water daily in Bishnandi area on the west bank of Meghna river under Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj for the development of environment friendly and sustainable surface water supply system including improvement of water supply situation in Dhaka metropolis. Construction of a water treatment plant with a capacity of 50 crore liters per day in the 1st phase at Dhaka WASA's own site at Gandhabpur in Rupganj on the east bank of the Shitalakshya river.
The area that will get water from Gandhabpur plant:
Water will be supplied to the northwestern part of Dhaka metropolis (Badda, Gulshan, Banani, Uttara, Mirpur, Dakshinkhan, Uttarkhan, Matikata and other areas through purified water transmission and distribution lines). Government of Bangladesh, ADB, AFD and EIB are financing the project.