The state minister made these remarks as the chief guest at a review meeting of the agency's overall activities held at the conference room of the Dhaka WASA building in Karwan Bazar of the capital on Thursday. Instructing quick implementation of the ongoing projects at the meeting, he urged the early completion of the project to connect pipelines from the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant to Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas. At the same time, he directed the rapid preparation of a Development Project Proposal (DPP) to build a water supply network in Purbachal.
The state minister said that the daily water demand and supply in Dhaka metropolis are both 314 crore liters. Water demand is increasing with the growth of population and housing. But in the last seven months, no significant progress or reflection of new initiatives has been seen in WASA's activities. Effective steps must be taken quickly to tackle the water crisis.
He said that currently 74 percent of the supplied water comes from underground sources and 26 percent from surface sources. He directed that the work of surface-water-dependent projects be completed quickly to reduce dependence on groundwater to 20 to 25 percent.
Regarding WASA's board of directors, the state minister said that in many cases the board's activities are slowing down public service work. For this reason, the government has decided to amend the law and remove the board from all WASA agencies in the country. At the same time, he directed increasing own revenue income to reduce dependence on foreign loans, strengthening automated systems in meter reading and billing, and creating a new staffing structure considering the demand of 2050.
Directing strict action by identifying illegal and stolen water connections in the city, Mir Shah Alam said that even if influential persons or political thugs are involved in these activities, immediate steps must be taken. The service of ordinary people cannot be disrupted by exerting political influence in service institutions. He also directed conducting awareness campaigns to prevent water wastage.
The meeting, presided over by Dhaka WASA Managing Director Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman, was attended by senior officials of the agency, Engineers Association, Diploma Association and CBA leaders. The state minister said that WASA's activities will be reviewed again after two months. He expressed the expectation of bringing visible change within this period and improving water services for city residents.
