WASA to undergo major overhauling soon

FE Team | Published: July 06, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

FHM Humayan Kabir
The government is going to take up a major overhauling and development programme for the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).
Under the programme, the WASA will be restructured to bring changes in its organogram, management and bill collection, and improve performance of the employees and develop the water supply and sewerage system in the capital, official sources said.
They said that the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Department for International Development (DFID), Japan, Danida and Italy would support the government in its efforts to bring major reforms in the state-owned entity.
A senior official in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) told the FE: "I think if the donor-supported project is executed, there will be a massive change in the Dhaka WASA and accountability in the ailing public sector entity will be established."
He said the administrative organogram will be changed in order to establish accountability. There will be a project to develop the skills of the staffs in the WASA.
According to LGRD ministry sources, currently, the WASA is suffering from about 40 per cent loses in water production. Besides the pilferage of water through illegal connections in connivance with a section of unscrupulous WASA employees, a huge quantity of water is going down the drain due to leaks in old and dilapidated transmission lines and street hydrants.
Earlier, the donors, including the World Bank, warned if the water supplier fails to bring down the system loss to a tolerable level, the development partners will not provide funds in future for its development.
The LGRD sources said the WB in 1996 set a pre-condition to improve the situation for getting fund for construction and improvement of the WASA infrastructure like water treatment plant, sewerage treatment plant, sewerage system, water supply network and storm water drainage etc.
Meanwhile a senior Economic relations Division (ERD) official told the FE: "The ADB has assured the government to provide US$250 million loan for overhauling and restructuring of the Dhaka WASA."
An appraisal mission from the Bank will visit Dhaka soon to find out the ways to support the WASA in efforts for restructuring and improvement of services.
Besides, some other donors including WB, DFID, Japan, Danida and Italy are also expected to fund for overall improvement of the Dhaka WASA, he added.
The ERD official said that under the ADB funded project, titled "Dhaka Water Sector Development Programme", the organogram of the WASA would be changed, capacity of the employees will be improved, bill collection system would be privatised, water supply system would be developed.