WASA amendment bill passed, govt empowered to appoint, remove officials

FE Team | Published: April 09, 2026 00:28:38

In a move to overhaul the management of water and sewerage authorities in the country, a bill titled "Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026" was passed in the Parliament on Wednesday, reports UNB.
The bill, introduced and moved by State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam in absence of the Minister, seeks to grant the government full powers to remove and appoint top officials and dissolve boards under 'special circumstances' without providing any prior notice.
The proposed law seeks to amend the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act, 1996, by inserting several new provisions that allow the government to bypass existing administrative procedures in the public interest.
According to the draft law, the changes are deemed necessary to address the stagnation of service delivery that occurred following the political shifts of August, 2024.
The bill introduces three critical sections aimed at ensuring administrative accountability and continuity:
Section 28A empowers the government to remove or appoint the Managing Director (MD) of any WASA authority without showing cause, provided it is deemed essential for the public interest during special situations.
Section 30A extending similar powers to the government regarding the removal and appointment of all officers and employees of the authority.
Section 42A authorises the government to dissolve the Board of Directors of any authority. In such cases, the government can appoint a committee of a specified number of members to perform the functions and exercise all powers of the board.
The bill specifies that the Act shall be deemed to have come into effect on October 24, 2024.
This provision effectively validates the actions taken under the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024, which was promulgated to manage the emergency situation following the fall of the previous regime.
In the objective of the Bill, the Stte Minister said that Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet WASAs were established for the proper operation and maintenance of safe water supply and sewage disposal systems for the people of the metropolis.
Since their establishment, WASAs have been making every effort to provide safe drinking water to the people of the metropolis. There are currently 5 WASAs in the country.
The "Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act, 1996" (Act No. 6 of 1996) was published in the Bangladesh Gazette on August 17, 1996 to govern the activities of WASAs.
The activities of WASAs are governed by the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act, 1996 and various rules made under this Act.
However, in the changed context that emerged on 05 August 2024, due to the continuous bsence/absence/abscondence of the Managing Directors, elected Chairman and members of the Board working in various WASAs, the service activities of WASAs came to a standstill and public services were severely disrupted.