Move to beat water woes

The site for Madunaghat Water Supply Project of Chittagong Wasa on the bank of the river Halda under Hathazari upazila.. PHOTO: STAR

Processes are underway to start formally the work of Madunaghat Water Supply Project at a revised cost of Tk 162 crore (around 12 million Euro), sources at Chittagong Wasa said.

The project is one of three big projects under Chittagong Wasa's "Short Term Action Plan" to be implemented in two years with a capacity to produce around 27 crore litres of water in addition to present production of only 18 crore litres against the daily demand of over 40 crore litres for 38 lakh people of Chittagong City Corporation, sources said.

The current production can only meet less than half of the demand to attribute to the acute sufferings of the city dwellers, sources said.

Italian government-financed Madunaghat project alone will contribute 4.5 crore litres of water daily, Wasa chairman Maqsumul Hakim Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

He said Italy has agreed to provide the loan of 11.82 million Euro (around Tk 162 crore) to the project under easy terms and interest payable in 60 years.

He said a three-member Italian team visited Bangladesh on October 16 to discuss about signing an agreement (financial convention) for the Madunaghat project.

"I hope the project work will start formally in four months after signing the agreement next month," Maqsumul said. It will take at least two years to complete, he added.

Wasa sources said the Italian government is giving the loan at an interest of only 0.5 percent and Bangladesh will not require paying the loan in first 25 years.

In 2001, Chittagong Wasa floated an international tender for the project and an Italian contractor firm named TNE-SPA won the bidding.

The project cost was estimated at Tk 88 crore, which got the approval from the cabinet purchase committee in September, 2003. The project was later revised at Tk 162 crore due to hike of dollar price in the international market, sources said.

Apart from Madunaghat project, Chittagong Wasa also will implement two other big projects under its 'Short Term Action Plan.' The two projects are: Karnaphuli Water Supply Project with a daily production capacity of 13.50 crore litres and the extended unit of Mohra Water Treatment Plant (under phase II of Mohra project) with capacity of nine crore litres.