Water crisis deepens, spreads over areas
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
FE Report
With the water crisis deepening and spreading to more and more areas of the Dhaka city, desperate residents are taking to the streets or organizing indoor meetings seeking immediate solution to their problems.
More than 400 residents of Mohakhali area in the capital blockaded the Amtali-Gulshan road demanding uninterrupted supply of water Tuesday. The protest brought the traffic movement to a standstill for about an hour.
Residents of the area have been without water for the last four days.
"We got the last drop of the precious liquid Friday morning and since then we're waiting for it to flow from our taps," a protestor said and added some of the elderly locals have prayed to the Almighty to solve the problem.
The road blockade was lifted following assurances of a quick solution to the problem.
WASA officials blamed frequent load shedding for their inability to operate water pumps.
The plight of the residents of some areas of posh Gulshan is far more serious.
Residents of Gulshan said they have been suffering from the water crisis for the last two weeks, as the local pumps are unable to lift enough water because of frequent power outages.
Ekram Kabir, a resident of Gulshan 1, told the FE that residents of his area mainly from road numbers 24 to 32 had been suffering from acute water shortage for the last 15 days.
"Before the current crisis broke out, we had been buying a lorry water from Wasa at Tk 1,000, more than twice of the fixed rate of Tk 400."
"Wasa officials however have been charging a lorry of water Tk 500 since the government decided to deploy army to manage supply side."
Mr Kabir said they have already contacted the Wasa authorities as well as officials stationed at local pumps, but the water crisis is continuing.
"Wasa officials said the situation would not improve without rains. But the pump operators said they could not run the pumps without power as they don't have any generators", he said.
The worsening power crisis, which has crippled the water supply management across the city, has not spared Gulshan, a residential area for industrialists, diplomats and bureaucrats.
"We witness load-shedding up to eight times a day, with each lasts at least one hour. The pumps lie idle during outages," said Md. Mohsin, another resident.
He said all the affected residents have decided to sit and take signatures of all to pursue the matter as they have been convinced that the current situation cannot continue any further.
As the grievances over water crisis have so far been restricted to peaceful protests, the government has called in the army to avert any flare-up and to ensure smooth supply of water in the affected areas.
"Army personnel will officially start assisting Wasa to help ease the persisting water crisis in the capital from today (Wednesday)," Taqsem A Khan, managing director of Wasa told the FE.
"They will maintain security and manage water at every zone across the capital," he said, adding the army personnel will be deployed until the rest of the dry season.
Wasa currently supplies 1.90 billion litres of water a day against the demand for 2.20 billion, leaving a major part of the city without the most basic need.
Residents of Badda, also included in the same zone, told the FE they have also been suffering acute water crisis.
With the water crisis deepening and spreading to more and more areas of the Dhaka city, desperate residents are taking to the streets or organizing indoor meetings seeking immediate solution to their problems.
More than 400 residents of Mohakhali area in the capital blockaded the Amtali-Gulshan road demanding uninterrupted supply of water Tuesday. The protest brought the traffic movement to a standstill for about an hour.
Residents of the area have been without water for the last four days.
"We got the last drop of the precious liquid Friday morning and since then we're waiting for it to flow from our taps," a protestor said and added some of the elderly locals have prayed to the Almighty to solve the problem.
The road blockade was lifted following assurances of a quick solution to the problem.
WASA officials blamed frequent load shedding for their inability to operate water pumps.
The plight of the residents of some areas of posh Gulshan is far more serious.
Residents of Gulshan said they have been suffering from the water crisis for the last two weeks, as the local pumps are unable to lift enough water because of frequent power outages.
Ekram Kabir, a resident of Gulshan 1, told the FE that residents of his area mainly from road numbers 24 to 32 had been suffering from acute water shortage for the last 15 days.
"Before the current crisis broke out, we had been buying a lorry water from Wasa at Tk 1,000, more than twice of the fixed rate of Tk 400."
"Wasa officials however have been charging a lorry of water Tk 500 since the government decided to deploy army to manage supply side."
Mr Kabir said they have already contacted the Wasa authorities as well as officials stationed at local pumps, but the water crisis is continuing.
"Wasa officials said the situation would not improve without rains. But the pump operators said they could not run the pumps without power as they don't have any generators", he said.
The worsening power crisis, which has crippled the water supply management across the city, has not spared Gulshan, a residential area for industrialists, diplomats and bureaucrats.
"We witness load-shedding up to eight times a day, with each lasts at least one hour. The pumps lie idle during outages," said Md. Mohsin, another resident.
He said all the affected residents have decided to sit and take signatures of all to pursue the matter as they have been convinced that the current situation cannot continue any further.
As the grievances over water crisis have so far been restricted to peaceful protests, the government has called in the army to avert any flare-up and to ensure smooth supply of water in the affected areas.
"Army personnel will officially start assisting Wasa to help ease the persisting water crisis in the capital from today (Wednesday)," Taqsem A Khan, managing director of Wasa told the FE.
"They will maintain security and manage water at every zone across the capital," he said, adding the army personnel will be deployed until the rest of the dry season.
Wasa currently supplies 1.90 billion litres of water a day against the demand for 2.20 billion, leaving a major part of the city without the most basic need.
Residents of Badda, also included in the same zone, told the FE they have also been suffering acute water crisis.