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Govt seeks $320m NDB loan to expand water coveraget, cut losses
MIR MOSTAFIZUR RAHAMANPublished :
Oct 10, 2023 11:48 PM
Updated :
Oct 11, 2023 08:33 AM
The government has sought a $320-million loan from the New Development Bank (NDB), the lending arm of the BRICS, to finance a project aimed at expanding water-supply coverage and reducing system losses of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Dhaka Wasa looks to expand its supply coverage to 16 newly added unions in the city, according to the project documents obtained by the FE.
Besides, the government agency, which falls under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and is responsible for providing water supply to over 20 million people in the capital, seeks to enhance efficiency by reducing its system losses to under 10 per cent, down from the current approximately 30 per cent.
Officials said the total cost of the project is estimated to be Tk 41.1 billion (around $380 million), with 85 per cent ($320 million) to be funded by external sources, and the remaining portion will be financed by the government and Dhaka Wasa.
An NDB team visited Dhaka in September to conduct an appraisal mission for the proposed project, sources said. The mission met with officials, including those from the Economic Relations Division and the Local Government Division.
While Dhaka's per-day water demand ranged from 3,000 to 3,200 million litres last year, official documents show that Dhaka Wasa's daily production capacity was around 2,650 to 2,700 million litres.
In addition to this, the substantial 30 per cent of non-revenue water -- water that is produced but not billed to customers -- continues to erode the capacity of Dhaka Wasa.
The project documents attribute this significant system loss to water network leakage, illegal connections and pilferage.
The water supplier has identified two pressing challenges for Dhaka's water supply service: achieving universal access to water and managing water losses measured in non-revenue water.
To meet the growing water demand, Wasa plans to establish a total of five water treatment plants to draw supply from the Padma and Meghna rivers. Currently, the water supplier is already implementing three plants: Padma Phase I (operational), Gandharbapur Phase I, and Saidabad Phase III (currently under construction).
However, system loss remains a primary concern, as noted in Dhaka Wasa documents: "These losses undermine efforts to close the demand gap. Even with the new water treatment plants and water transmission lines in place, Dhaka Wasa's capacity, with such a high level of water losses, will not be sufficient to meet the demand".
According to the documents, the agency aims to reduce the non-revenue water ratio to 10 per cent or lower.
Other key aspects of the project include establishing a water supply network for the Padma Northwest Sector. This will involve implementing a water transmission and distribution network for currently unserved areas like Nabinagor housing, Dhaka Uddan, Chandrima, Hazaribag and Bosila.
The water will be sourced from the Padma River to the south of Dhaka and undergo treatment at the Padma water treatment plant.
The plan is to construct 56 km of transmission pipelines in the Padma Northwest Sector by 2029, along with completing the construction and rehabilitation of 1,575 km of the water distribution network in the 16 unions and the Padma Northwest Sector, according to officials.
To minimise system losses and enhance operational efficiency, Dhaka Wasa also focuses on establishing district-metred areas. These are hydraulically isolated small areas within a larger network system, equipped with their own water supply system and distribution network for a community.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
Govt seeks $320m NDB loan to expand water coverage, cut losses
The government has sought a $320-million loan from the New Development Bank (NDB), the lending arm of the BRICS, to finance a project aimed at expanding water-supply coverage and reducing system losses of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa). Dhaka Wasa looks to expand its supply c
thefinancialexpress.com.bd