Physical work on the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant is finally set to begin after 10 years with an aim to ensure the supply of clean and safe water for city-dwellers from the Meghna River.
The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) has signed a €292 million worth of contract with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) as the lead partner to carry out the entire work.
Officials said the signing of the contract paved the way for taking the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant Phase III (Saidabad WTP-3) onto the physical work implementation stage.
The joint venture company will start construction of the raw water pumping station, treatment plant and distribution pipeline in the next few months. Once completed, the project will boost the city's water supply capacity by 450 million litres per day, benefiting more than 25 million people.
The construction work is expected to start in about two months after preparatory activities are completed. The contract allows 42 months for the project's completion, said an official involved with the project.
The Phase III project was initiated in 2013 as pollution in rivers surrounding Dhaka made them unsuitable for water treatment.
The French government supported the feasibility study for the project, which began in 2013 and concluded in 2015. Later, France's development agency-Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) -led the project funding, committing to clean, safe and sustainable water supply.
The Dhaka WASA and AFD signed a €315 million agreement for the project in April this year.
In a post on its LinkedIn page, AFD described the signing of the agreement as 'a key step toward bringing more clean water to the city.'
Supported by the government, Dhaka WASA's international partners-AFD, KfW Danida and the European Investment Bank-are backing the initiative, which aims to shift the capital's water supply away from overexploited groundwater sources towards sustainable surface water.
"This means less pressure on fragile ecosystems, stronger climate resilience and a cleaner future," the AFD commented.
Madeleine Portmann, Deputy Head of Water Division of AFD said Saidabad WTP III project would change the water source, switching from the polluted Sitalakhya River, the water of which is used for the existing two plants built as part of Phases I & II), to the cleaner Meghna River.
Meghna River will account for 40 per cent of Dhaka's water supply, once the Saidabad WTP III and Gandarphur Projects are operational.
The Saidabad WTP Phase III project comprises three major components. The first component involves the intake of raw water from the Meghna River at a point with good water quality, along with a transmission system designed to supply 950,000 m3/day to Saidabad water treatment plants, allowing for 50,000 m3/d losses.
Under the second component, the new WTP of 450,000 m3/day capacity will be constructed along with a facility with the capacity to treat sludge generated from the 900,000 m3/day of water from the existing Saidabad WTP I and II and the new Saidabad WTP III.
Under the third component, extension of the primary and secondary distribution networks will ensure delivery of treated water to consumers.
The project has suffered unusual delays in its implementation increasing the costs to Tk 160.15 billion from the original estimation of Tk 45.97 billion. DWASA undertook the project in July 2015 with a target to complete it by June 2020. The project will be implemented by 2029.
smunima@yahoo.com