Dhaka: Rajshahi Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (RWASA) has been working to bring hundred percent people of Rajshahi city and its adjacent municipalities under the supply of safe drinkable water by the end of 2027. Implementation works of the water treatment project is expected to end within the stipulated time with the main thrust of ensuring water quality and meeting the water deficit.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, upon successful implementation of the project titled ‘Rajshahi WASA Surface Water Treatment Plant’, 20 crore liters of purified water will be supplied to the targeted beneficiaries every day. Under the project, water from the Padma River will be supplied to households for drinking purposes after necessary treatment. All old pipelines and hydrants of the city will also be repaired and renovated under the project. The drinkable water will be supplied to the people of Rajshahi city and its surrounding Naohata and Katakhali pourashava.
Talking to BSS, RWASA Chief Engineer Parvez Mamud stated that the treatment plant will be installed at Sarangpur area adjacent to the Padma River under Godagari upazila, about 26 kilometers off the Rajshahi city, to clean and purify the river water. A delegation of the project implementing Chinese company has been working at the site. Engineer Mamud mentioned that the Hunan Construction Engineering Group has been implementing the Taka 4,062-crore project, with 30 percent of the scheduled works completed so far.
Under the project, 53-kilometer main pipelines, 48-kilometer primary and secondary distribution pipelines, a conventional water treatment plant, treated water transmission main and booster pump stations, and an intake will be constructed. Chief Engineer Mamud noted that the daily water demand in the city is around 130 MLD at present, with 98.037 MLD extracted from underground through pumps, and nine MLD from surface water, totaling 107.04 MLD to meet the demands.
Managing Director Rezaul Alam Sarker emphasized the selection of the Sharengpur site after assessing its water availability year-round. He stated that there will be no water deficit in the city when the project is implemented. After meeting the water demands in the city, RWASA will be able to supply drinkable water to the adjacent two pourashavas. Sarker also highlighted RWASA’s commitment to maintaining integrity in all service delivery activities, particularly water supply, for the betterment of the service recipients.
Sarker mentioned the need for enhancing water tariffs for proper adjustment between earning and expenditure. As an autonomous and state-owned entity, RWASA aims to be self-dependent through increasing revenue earnings. He noted revenues worth Taka 15.35 crore were earned till February last against the annual expenditure of Taka 20.67 crore, and sought cooperation from city dwellers to mitigate the financial gap.
Expressing satisfaction over RWASA’s water supply system, many city dwellers, including Rafiqul Islam, Ehsanul Amin, and Jahangir Alam Khan, acknowledged problems related to water quality like excessive hardness and iron in the present supplied water. They hoped that the existing problems would be resolved with the project’s successful implementation, contributing significantly to freeing people from various water-borne diseases.