Plan to pipe in water from Jamuna

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The government yesterday decided to lift the water level in the Buriganga by piping in water from the Jamuna and ensure increased water supply to the city dwellers.

At a meeting of the local government and rural development (LGRD) ministry with Adviser Anwarul Iqbal in the chair, it also directed the Directorate of Environment (DoE) to take necessary measures to stop pollution in the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakhya, all flowing around the capital.

Estimated to cost Tk 616.88 crore from the public purse, a project has already been planned in view of the importance of higher river levels in water supply.

If implemented, it would increase water level and decrease pollution in the rivers surrounding Dhaka. It all would enable the Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to come up with more drinking water to meet the growing demand in the city, meeting sources said.

Besides, the project would make effective the circular waterways that have long been lying idle.

According to the project proposal, the authorities plan to bring in water to the Buriganga and Turag through pipelines from the Jamuna at Nagarpur in Tangail. The work would be done only in the dry season, as the water levels are usually high during the monsoon.

Under the inter-ministerial project, the river beds too will be dug to increase the navigability of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakhya.

The Wasa, which is responsible for water supply and sewerage network in Dhaka city, is now having difficulties setting up new treatment plants as the underground water level has gone down too far. Once the project is completed, it would solve that problem, the meeting sources added.

Currently, the authority has four treatment plants and can supply every day 31 crore litres of water to the city dwellers, whereas the demand remains much higher.

At yesterday’s meeting, the DoE officials presented a slide show on the status of river pollution.

One of the photographs showed how the Beximco Industries at Noyarhat has been dumping liquid waste into the Bongshi river through underground pipes so that no-one can see it, said Anwarul Iqbal, briefing the journalists about the decisions.

They have been doing it intentionally. The government would take measures against the practice, he added.

Earlier, the government had directed the DoE to take action against the polluters but to no effect, he said adding, “So, we’ve asked them again to act to stop pollution. The city won’t survive if the pollution goes on like this.”

Secretary Syed Md Zobayer and other officials from the water resource ministry, DoE, and LGRD were present at the meeting held at the LGRD auditorium.

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