Any single agency takes up a development project only after doing the feasibility study. Costs are estimated, with the risks and problems of the project in mind.
Unless there’s a natural calamity, the project is supposed to end within the estimated cost estimate and time. But in case of 80 per cent projects of Dhaka WASA, the costs go up by a large margin with the extension of duration.
Prothom Alo reports the water treatment plant project (phase-3) in Sayedabad was taken about seven years ago to increase the supply of surface water in the capital.
Its duration was from July 2015 to June 2020. And the cost was estimated at Tk 45.97 billion (4,597 crore).
The foreign loan part of that is Tk 30.53 billion (3,053 crore). But the project couldn’t start in time due to the tug of war between WASA and the development partners about the pollution of Meghna River, the water source of the project.
In this backdrop, the project duration has been extended till June of 2025 with a new estimated cost of Tk 75.18 billion (7,518 crore).
Less than two and a half years are left of the revised duration. Actual progress of the project till last December is only 4.8 per cent tough.
Dhaka WASA is supposed to collect water for this project from the Meghna River at Haria area under Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj.
Development isn’t something incoherent or an instant solution to problems.
If only we could reduce water pollution of Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Balu and Turag rivers surrounding Dhaka city, then there would be no need to bring water from Padma or Meghna River at a huge cost.
Once the project has been implemented, it will be possible to supply about 950 million (95 crore) litres of untreated water to the treatment plant in Syedabad and an additional 450 million (45 crore) litres of water to Dhaka Metropolis every day.
However, representatives of the donors funding the project visited water collection point of Sayedabad Phase III in 2017 and noticed pollution there.
Dhaka WASA later prepared a master plan to prevent encroachment and pollution of Meghna River and the WASA authorities have said that the donors’ concerns about Meghna River has been resolved.
Dhaka WASA has been talking about reducing the use of groundwater and meeting the demand by treating river water since 2019.
Managing director (MD) of the agency Taqsem A Khan had announced to raise the production of surface water to at least 70 per cent within 2023, but failed to reach anywhere near that.
In actuality, a lot less water came from Sayedabad-1 and Sayedabad-2 projects than the amount of water that was supposed to be received. In such circumstances, more groundwater has to be extracted and the water level in the ground is receding even further.
Adil Muhammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development, an urban research and policy analysis organisation, told Prothom Alo that the outcome of overusing underground water could be dire.
Taking up all unrealistic and ambitious projects has caused this situation, for which WASA customers have to bear the responsibility.
On one hand, Dhaka WASA keeps extending the project duration and costs, on the other hand city dwellers aren’t receiving water. This means they didn’t do the feasibility study properly before taking up the project.
This is how the Dhaka WASA managing director, who receives a salary several times higher even than the head of the government, is leaving the mark of his 'skills' and 'competence'.