WASA’s failure to submit report on water quality

The High Court expressed on Monday discontent as the authorities of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) failed to submit a report after examining its water supplied to different areas, reports UNB.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam also asked the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) to submit a report by May 15 after fixing the expenditure to be required for examining water supplied by DWASA.

The HC bench passed the order following hearing on a writ petition in this regard.

Advocate Ranvir Ahmed stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Motahar Hossain Saju represented the state.

DWASA was scheduled to submit report on Monday after examining water of different areas but it did not submit the report saying that it requires huge money to test water.

The HC said there are 11 zones of DWASA and if DWASA wants it can examine water after collecting two bottles of water from each zone but the Local Government Ministry is not paying any heed to the HC order.

On May 08, the High Court ordered the authorities concerned to prepare a list of the areas receiving highly contaminated water supplied by Dhaka WASA.

On October 11, 2018, the World Bank published a report which says over 70.5 million people of the country drink unsafe water as 41 per cent sources of water contains harmful bacteria. The report also said 13 per cent water contains arsenic.

The World Bank report said about 80 per cent water supplied through pipeline contains harmful bacteria.