WASA sewage treatment plants construction in limbo

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority is yet to begin construction works of four sewage treatment plants and renovation of existing Pagla plant under a 23-year master plan taken in September 2014.
The Dhaka WASA officials said projects for sewage treatment plants at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and Uttara did not see any progress as they could not complete land acquisition, feasibility studies and other formalities required for the development activities. 
Construction and renovation of sewage treatment plants involve foreign investment worth $2.0 billion, they said.
They are also planning to construct 11 more new sewage treatment plants along with pipelines and other structures, the officials added.
Dhaka WASA development director Md Abul Kashem said they are yet to launch any project for construction of three STPs though procedure was on. 
A feasibility study for Rayerbazar plant was in progress as the Asian Development Bank was willing to invest for the plant, he said, adding that they have sent a development project proposal to the Local Government Division for land acquisition.
Design for the Mirpur plant was finalised on the completion of the feasibility study, he said. 
He also said that they had completed the design of the Uttara plant and sent DPP to the Local Government Division for land acquisition where the World Bank would provide fund for the project.
A consultant would be appointed soon for Pagla Plant renovation works with World Bank funding, he said.
However, construction of the Dasherkandi plant in Tromohani, five kilometres off Rampura Bridge, was now in progress, said a senior WASA official concerned. 
Construction works of Dasherkandi plant on 60 acres of land began in March 2017 at an estimated cost of Tk 3,217 crore, a year after it was planned, he said. Later, the plant was brought under the master-plan aimed to treat waste water from Hatirjheel and Begunbari Khal, he said.
Hydro China Corporation was implementing the project with a financial aid from Exim Bank of China. More than 60 per cent works of the project were completed, said officials. 
The officials also said construction of the plant was expected to be completed by the deadline in December 2019. 
Despite a series of attempts, DWASA managing director Taqsem A Khan could not be reached for comment over the delay in launching the projects.
Several Dhaka WASA officials said that the STPs were supposed to be completed by 2025. 
Mujibur Rahman, a professor of environmental engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, blamed the lengthy procedure for delay in the STPs construction work. He said the target for completion of the works by 2025 seemed unrealistic.
Even the plants would not be properly executed without developing the sewerage lines in the city, said Mujibur. ‘WASA could not develop its 50-year old sewerage lines,’ he said.
DWASA officials admitted that currently less than 20 per cent area of the city was under the sewerage network coverage.
As a result, residents of most parts of the city have to depend on septic tank and soak wells to redeem domestic sludge and waste water into surface drains, the officials added.
Dhaka generates more than 2,000 million liter waste water per day with an existing 930 kilometres sewage lines and 26 lift stations in the city, officials said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net