Dhaka WASA submits water test reports at HC

Dhaka WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) on Tuesday submitted two test reports to the High Court saying no harmful material was found in samples collected from Patla Khan Lane and Mirpur zones, reports UNB.

Justice JBM Hasan and justice Md Khairul Alam's bench received the reports of tests conducted by BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) and icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh).

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam told the court that water of the two zones, which was previously found to be contaminated, has been purified.

The reports were filed after testing samples of the treated water.

The court sought comments from experts. If it feels necessary, the court will order re-testing the water after getting the comments.

Barrister AM Masum represented the WASA while Tanveer Ahmed stood for the writ petitioner at the court.

“No bacteria was found since the water was treated,” said Masum. Tanveer noted that the samples were unsealed but the report said the water was safe for drinking.

The report of a four-member committee, formed after the court's order to test the water, was submitted on 7 July.

It found existence of harmful elements, including bacteria, in tested samples of 10 distribution zones.

Earlier on 21 May, the High Court ordered testing of WASA water samples from 34 locations in the capital.

Mohammad Tanveer Amed, a counsel of the writ petitioner, moved at the court after a World Bank report said over 75 million people of Bangladesh drink unsafe water.

The report noted that 41 per cent water sources contain harmful bacteria and 13 per cent water contains arsenic. It said about 80 per cent water supplied through pipelines contains harmful bacteria.

In the following month, the court ordered the authorities concerned to form a committee to test Dhaka WASA water.