The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority has planned to pump out another 30 crore litres of groundwater every day by 2014 to meet the growing demand for safe water in this sprawling city of 1.30 crore people.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on Tuesday approved a project, titled 'Emergency Rehabilitation and Expansion of Water Supply System Project-2' in this regard, involving Tk 224 crore.
Dhaka WASA will implement the project from July 2011 to June 2014 under the Local Government Division of the LGRD ministry.
Of the total project cost of Tk 224 crore, Tk 213 crore will come from the government exchequer, while Tk 11 crore from WASA's own fund.
Of the government fund, Tk 49 crore has been earmarked for the current fiscal year (2011-12), while Tk 138 crore for the next fiscal year (2012-13) and Tk 26 crore for the fiscal year 2013-14.
According to sources at the planning ministry, the daily demand for water in the capital is 220 crore litres, but WASA could supply 200 crore litres or 91 per cent of the demand. The demand, however, rises to 225 crore litres a day in summer.
WASA sources said the demand for water will increase significantly by 2025 when the population of the capital is expected to hit 2.40 crore from the present 1.30 crore.
To meet the growing demand, WASA is undertaking different small and big projects, according to the officials.
Dhaka WASA now could supply water to 75 per cent areas of the capital of which 87 per cent is from groundwater, while 13 per cent is surface water that comes from treatment plants.
Talking to the news agency over phone, Dhaka WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan said the project had been undertaken to meet the increasing demand of the city dwellers. Once the project is implemented, Dhaka WASA would be able to supply additional 300 million litres of water a day, he added.
Under the project, the Dhaka WASA managing director said, additional water supply would be ensured through deep tube-wells. Currently, Dhaka WASA is operating 591 deep tube-wells.
Engineer Taqsem also said such projects were undertaken in the past and more would come in the future in line with the growing demand.
Under the project, there will be 60 new deep tube-wells alongside replacing 165, 5 deep aquifers, 20 deep aquifer replacement, 20 regeneration deep tube-wells, installing a 100-km new waterline and replacement of 50-km one, 17,000 cubic meter land development, construction of 5750 square meter land protection embankment.
The project follows the 'Emergency Rehabilitation and Expansion of Water Supply System Project-1' which completed in June this year.
Source : New Age
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