No piped water in many city parts
There has been an acute water crisis in many parts of the city while the demand for water has increased owing to record-high summer heat during the month of Ramadan.
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority officials said that they were operating all 910 deep tube wells across the city to meet the additional water demand but the water crisis remains acute in some parts of the city where the demand saw a sharp increase.
Mazharul Islam Rony, a resident of Nobodoy Housing Society at Mohammadpur, said that they were living at the society’s apartment for the past 15 years but did not face such water scarcity in the past.
He said that they had been getting inadequate water for the past one month, while several thousand families in the society and adjacent areas had been receiving no water at all in pipeline for the past five days.
‘We are buying water in bottles and jars costing Tk 600 daily for a family to survive,’ he said.
While the house owners communicated with the Dhaka WASA local office for an alternative water supply in trucks but three days has gone by without any such water coming, he further said.
‘We have now no other option but to leave the house,’ he said.
The residents of a part of Dhanmondi, Rayerbazar, Zigatola, Dhaka Udyan, Mohammadia Housing Society, Shekhertek and other adjacent areas are facing the same acute water crisis.
Dhanmondi’s Madhubazar area residents complained that Dhaka WASA did not inform them earlier of the water crisis.
Dhaka WASA deputy managing director AKM Shahid Uddin said that his agency had requested residents and public representatives of the areas for land to set up a pump house. ‘But unfortunately the land could not be managed,’ he added.
He explained that thousands of buildings were built in the area over the years but the water volume for them could not be increased for the lack of land.
‘Let them provide us with land, we will set up a pump within two months and the water crisis will be gone,’ he said.
He also explained that as there was no opportunity to increase the production capacity of the existing pumps setting up new pumps was therefore the only option.
Explaining that the water consumption has increased in all parts of the capital, he said that the overall water demand had gone up due to the excessive summer heat.
While some people are using more water, some are not getting water, he went on to say.
As the water demand has increased manifold, he further said, it has also resulted in water shortages for the people living around the end of pipelines.
Currently, the Dhaka WASA is producing 265–270 core liters of water daily in its 910 deep tube wells across the city, according to the water agency’s sources.
According to its estimate, a person consumes 130 litres of water every day while the per capita use has increased many times due to the high heat.
Residents complained that the Dhaka WASA was not sincere about their problem and not trying to solve it.
Dhaka WASA DMD Shahid Uddin said that there was no immediate chance to increase the water output as all the pumps were on operation in their full capacity.
However, on March 18, Dhaka WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan had committed that the entity had completed its preparations to ensure an uninterrupted water supply and maintain normal water supply for the consumers of the capital during Ramadan.
While addressing a press conference, he also said that all the water treatment plants and water pumps managed by the agency would remain functional round the clock during Ramadan, adding that in case of a power outage, the pumps will run using backup and mobile generators.
The Dhaka WASA has 380 fixed and 18 portable generators meant to keep the power supply uninterrupted for water production.
News Courtesy:
https://www.newagebd.net/article/199491/no-piped-water-in-many-city-parts
