41pc capacity underutilised even after 3yrs

Even after three years since its construction at a cost of Tk 33.71 billion, more than 41 per cent of the total capacity of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant - Bangladesh's first and one of the largest in South Asia and East Asia - remains underutilised on average.
The failure of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) to develop sewerage lines has resulted in the plant processing a maximum of only 317.4 million litres per day (MLD) of waste, far below its 500 MLD capacity.
The plant processes as little as 212.66 MLD in certain months, leaving over 57 per cent of its capacity unutilised, according to an inspection report by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Ministry of Planning.
DWASA officials said that 60 square kilometres of catchment areas remain disconnected from the sewer network, resulting in an average treatment capacity of only 296.92 MLD over seven months.
The project, approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in 2015 with an estimated cost of Tk 33.18 billion, was originally slated for completion by 2019.
Its objective was to reduce water and environmental pollution by treating sewage from major areas of Dhaka, including Gulshan, Banani, Bashundhara, Tejgaon, and Hatirjheel, before discharging it into the Balu River.
Additionally, it seeks to minimise pollution in the Shitalakshya River, protecting the intake points of the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant Phase-1 and Phase-2.
Several factors, including delays in land acquisition, relocating transmission towers, soil filling, and loan agreement process, along with disruptions caused by Covid-19, resulted in the project's completion being extended to December 2023, marking an 8.5-year period, 89 per cent longer than the original 4.5-year estimate.
The project was ultimately completed at a cost of Tk 33.71 billion, exceeding the initial budget by Tk 528.86 million, or 1.59 per cent. The government allocated Tk 10.05 billion from its own funds, while Tk 23.66 billion, accounting for 70.19 per cent of the total cost, was secured as a project loan from China's Exim Bank.
The IMED inspection report reveals that following the completion of pre-commissioning and commissioning, the sewage treatment plant began operations in April 2022, with its official inauguration occurring in July of the following year.
Instalment payments are being made according to the loan agreement, with around Tk 80 million spent monthly on the plant's operation and maintenance.
The report recommends that the facility be fully utilised as soon as possible to optimise the benefits of the investment.
Performance report for the seven months found that the plant treated the lowest 290.4 MLD of sewerage in last July, while it was 292.65 MLD in May.
The highest amount of sewerage treated by the plant was 302.07 MLD in August last year, when the country faced the highest rainfall.
"Currently, the plant is handling combined sewage from certain areas, including storm water and rainwater," reveals the report, urging to construct a dedicated sewage collection network to manage the combined sewage more effectively.
Without this network in the catchment area, it will not be possible to provide 100 per cent sewage treatment service to the residents of the metropolis.
Additionally, given the high operation and maintenance costs of the plant, it is crucial to take steps to increase revenue by quickly building the sewage collection network and increase revenue generation from the plant, the report recommended.
Adil Mohammed Khan, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), emphasised that the sewage network should have been properly established before constructing this infrastructure.
He told The Financial Express that building a new sewage line in a densely populated city like Dhaka within a short period is not practical.
Criticising the project as a prime example of planning inefficiency, he remarked, "This project, implemented without a thorough evaluation of costs and benefits, risks, and feasibility, has added to the foreign debt burden and will lead to unnecessary operating and maintenance costs."
He also noted that several treatment plants in the capital and projects to install underground cables for various services, including electricity and telecommunications, should be considered infeasible and luxury projects, more suited to newly developed cities.
Project's positive impact
Azgor Ali, assistant director at the IMED, recently inspected the plant and the adjacent areas to evaluate the project completion report (PCR).
"The plant has significantly reduced water pollution in the Narai Canal, Balu River, and Shitalakshya River, while fish species have returned, and the foul odour has decreased," he wrote in the report.
The need for frequent commissioning of the pre-treatment plant on the Shitalakshya River has been reduced from annually to once every three months, and chemical consumption at the water treatment plant has dropped by 50-60 per cent, the report added.
The plant's Sludge Management Unit processes sludge through thickening, dewatering, and incineration, with the resulting fly ash supplied to cement companies and the flue gas is controlled within safe parameters.
The report also found the treated water clean, germ-free, odourless, and suitable for use, and recommended proper initiatives to use the water to reduce pressure on the groundwater of the capital.
The project has also spurred socio-economic development in the area, improving infrastructure and creating local jobs, concluded the report.

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