Pure drinking water yet not ensured

Dhaka Wasa not increasing water price soon: Wasa DMD

Staff Correspondent: The authority has failed to ensure pure drinking water for the city dwellers, despite taking different initiatives wasting huge amount of money. In a situation, the Wasa is trying to hike water price.
Dhaka Wasa DMD Uttam Kumar Roy, Deputy Managing Director (DMD-Commercial) of Dhaka WASA said that no decision to increase the price of water from next June has been finalized. He gave this information at a meeting organized by Bangladesh General Citizen Society at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.
The exchange meeting was held on the topic of ‘Category-based water pricing and the reality of clean water commitments – our views’. In the speech of the chief guest, Senior Secretary (Retd.) Md.Mofizul Islam said that the Bangladesh government has not yet adopted a master plan for safe and secure water for future generations. Questioning WASA, he said, Dhaka WASA first took up the project of water supply from Shitalakshya and later Meghna river.
However, it has not planned how to use the water of Buriganga and Turag rivers within Dhaka.When told to them, they said that the water of these two rivers has already become polluted.So, the question is what is the guarantee that the water of Padma, Shitalakshya and Meghna will not be polluted in the future?Water is a precious resource.Hence, a master plan needs to be taken to ensure proper use of water. At the time, about increasing the price of Wasar water.Mofizul Islam said that it should be looked into whether the tax rate can be increased for the upper classes instead of class wise. Uttam Kumar Roy, Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) of Dhaka WASA, in the speech of the special guest at the exchange meeting, said that a foreign organization has only conducted a survey on the class-based plan for determining the price of water.In this regard, we will discuss with the civil society, media and various stakeholders of the government and the decision will be taken according to the plan of the government.It is not correct to say that the price of water has been increasing since June.Because the decision in this regard is not only ours, but the government’s decision is the first.
So, it has not been discussed yet. He said that the cost of production of water is high, but it should be remembered that even though the price of electricity has increased in the last few years, we have not increased the price of water in that way.Dhaka WASA is working to make the price of water affordable for all and lower for the common and low-income people. Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of CPB, said that the price of water should be determined on the basis of a public hearing.Because of the increase in production cost and the alleged irregularities in the name of the project, WASA should take the right decision by holding a public hearing. Former Chairman of Safe Food Authority Mushtaq Hasan MuhaIftekhar said, rather than the price of water, he urged to ensure the provision of clean water and water supply to all citizens for the next generation. In response to various questions, Dhaka Wasa Executive Engineer Badrul Alam further said that the projects that have been taken have been taken thinking about the future.If you have any specific information or complaint about us, let us know, we will take necessary action.
However, there are still weaknesses in some areas.We will solve all problems quickly inshallah. Cab Vice President SM Najer Hossain, former Additional Director General of Bangladesh Water Development Board Engineer Md.Belayet Hossain, Advocate Saheda Begum, Executive Member of Cell Phone Consumers Association, Advocate Billal Hossain etc. In the speech of the president, the convenor of the organization Mohiuddin Ahmed said that the price of water can be determined based on the usage like electricity.Area-based water pricing may result in many low-income commoners being exposed to higher water prices.This will cause more harm than good.Therefore, the price of water should be determined based on usage and not on class basis.