Contamination, bacteria found in DWASA water

A new joint study has found bacteria and other contaminations in water supplied by the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority at several source points.

The study was carried out by ICDDR,B, Bureau of Research, Testing  and Consultation of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Dhaka University microbiology department in compliance with a High Court directive issued on May 20.

Unacceptable levels of foul smell and bad taste due to ammonia, chlorine and chloramines contaminations were also found in water supplied by the water supply authority at Saidabad and Chandnighat, says the report.

The study was given to the office of the attorney general for submission in the bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam on Sunday, deputy attorney general Motaher Hossain Sazu told New Age on Wednesday.

The study group recommended immediate steps be taken by appropriate authorities to prevent bacterial contamination in water supplied by the water supply authority.

It also recommended a thorough water quality monitoring campaign by the appropriate authorities in the affected areas to find out whether or not bacteria contaminated waters are supplied to consumers in others areas.

It recommended for providing funds and technical support for regular water quality monitoring water supplied to all the consumers by the water supply authority to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to all.

The water samples were collected from four source points, 10 supply zones, 10 vulnerable zones on the basis of consumers’ complaints and also on random from 10 other places, as the court had directed.

The local government division in a report submitted earlier informed the High Court Division that at least 50 areas in the capital got filthy water on supply lines.

The local government division also informed the court that it had prepared the report on the basis of consumers’ complaints received through the water supply agency hotline over the past three months.

Dhaka WASA consumers increased to  3,60,343 from 2,72,844 in 2009, Dhaka University microbiology professor Sabita Rezwana Rahman informed the court.  

Professor Sabita, a member of the joint study group, said in her report that further studies were needed by collecting more samples to get a comprehensive picture about water supplied by the authority to its consumers.

The study group comprises icddr,b physician Munirul Alam, BUET prof Badruzzaman and local government division additional secretary Zahirul Islam.

The High Court directed the joint study team to collect and test samples of surface water of Buriganga and the Sitalakhya rivers as well the groundwater the water supply authority supplied to its consumers.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net