Chattogram:A Tk 5,500 crore sewerage project, designed to transform Chattogram into a 'healthy city,' is set to launch in July next year. The project, spearheaded by Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), aims to address the long-standing issue of unplanned sewerage systems in the port city, which is home to nearly 80 lakh people.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, 82 percent of the work on the sewerage project is already complete. With the monsoon season over, Chattogram WASA is expediting construction efforts to meet the June deadline, stated Engineer Selim Mohammad Jane Alam, Managing Director of Chattogram WASA.
Chattogram, despite being a major urban center, currently lacks a planned sewerage system, resulting in household waste flowing into septic tanks and approximately 28.8 crore liters of wastewater reaching the city's rivers daily. This figure is expected to rise to 51.5 crore liters per day by 2030. The city also generates around 539 cubic meters of fecal sludge daily, with projections of up to 715 cubic meters by 2030.
The project involves dividing the city into six zones, with plans for six sewerage treatment plants and two fecal sludge treatment plants. The first phase, which began in 2022, covers one zone known as Catchment-1. This phase aims to bring 20 lakh people under the new sewerage network, benefiting residents from areas including Kotwali, Batali Hill, Lalkhan Bazar, Agrabad, Pathantuli, Choumuhani, Eidgah, and Halishahar.
Currently, more than 200 kilometers of pipeline are being laid at depths of 5 to 15 meters underground, with 135 kilometers already completed. Two treatment plants are under construction on a 163-acre site at Chauchala, Halishahar. One plant will treat 90 million liters of sewage daily, while the other will process 300 tons of fecal sludge per day. A modern sewerage treatment plant is also being established in Anandabazar, Halishahar.
Officials anticipate significant improvements in the city's sanitation with the completion of the project, reducing haphazard sewage disposal and pollution. Engineer Maksud Alam noted that the monsoon had slowed progress, particularly on deep underground pipes, but work has now resumed in full swing, with expectations to finish the entire project by next June.