Dhaka WASA has finally decided to implement the sewerage master plan to bring the city under 100 per cent sewerage pipeline coverage by 2025 instead of 2030 mentioned in its document.
To this end, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has a plan for investment of US$ 2.2 billion in the pipeline to implement various projects including five sewerage treatment plants.
It failed to implement the sewerage master plan prepared in 2010 as the donor agencies were more interested to provide funds for the water supply project, but not to develop the sewerage system of the city.
DWASA managing director Taqsem A Khan revealed these information at a press conference held at its office on Thursday.
At the press conference, Mr Khan claimed that the city would experience less waterlogging during this monsoon. "Also there will be no scarcity of water during the dry season as WASA produces more water than required and is ready to resolve any crisis."
At present, only 20 per cent of the city is under the piped sewerage network. But DWASA has a water supply network of 3500km while the sewerage network is merely around 900km which was supposed to be the same length of the water pipeline.
A WASA document showed that the government under the World Bank/International Development Association (IDA) support engaged technical assistance support to undertake the 'Updating/Preparation of Sewerage Master Plan of Dhaka City and Preparation of Detail Design & Bidding Documents for Priority Works for Existing Sewerage System of Dhaka City (Package DS-1A)'.
The objective of the project is to develop a detailed and comprehensive master plan for the wastewater management and sanitation system of Dhaka city, with the primary goal to reduce significantly, and in the long-term, to eliminate pollution arising from unhygienic disposal of wastewater, of all industrial, commercial and domestic origin, up to the planning horizon (2035).
During a question-answer session at the press conference, Mr Khan also said DWASA could not implement the sewerage master plan as there was no wastewater and the donor agencies were not interested to provide funds for sewerage.
"First, we tried to ensure water and then sewerage. Now the donors including WB are more concerned about environmental pollution. That's why they are giving us fund," he said.
Earlier he said DWASA will bring the Dhaka city under 100 per cent sewerage pipeline network by 2025, although it mentioned 2030 in the master plan.
He said DWASA has been upgrading the lone Pagla sewerage treatment plant with WB funding. The Dasherkandi plant will be implemented by next two years, the design of the Uttara treatment plant is underway while consultants have been appointed for Rayerbazar and Mirpur plants.
Water and sanitation experts said if the sludge or faecal management is not done properly, these will pollute soil or mix with normal water supply network. Besides, the sewerage system is not only wastewater discharge abruptly. Rather the system is to treat water and reuse it.
But DWASA wastewater and sludge is equally responsible for pollution of the rivers and canals as those are directly dumped there due to absence of any public sewerage treatment facilities.
The DWASA managing director also said they will re-excavate 20km of the 15 canals to keep the water flow normal during the rainy season. The re-excavation work on some canals has already started, he added.
Regarding the canal reclamation drive, Mr Khan said the drive against illegal grabbers of canals will continue. But they will evict only those grabbers who have set up illegal structures on the boundary area of a canal that has been identified.
The drive against influential quarters who have built big structures will not be possible unless a huge investment is ensured first as it will require the walkway construction to protect it from further grabbing, he noted.
msshova@gmail.com
