Wasa has also planned to set up water tanks in important places. Besides, army will be deployed at all the water pumps to ensure uninterrupted supply.

"Wasa officials have identified the areas where the water crisis is quite serious," said Mahfuzur Rahman, public relations officer of Wasa.

The areas are Dhalka Nagar of Old Dhaka, Banani, Gulshan, Shyampur, Modhubazar, Green Road, Matuail, Nawabpur Road, Fulbaria, Lalbagh, Jagannath College, Shankharibazar, Water Works, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Laxmibazar, Rayerbazar, Shekertek, Pisciculture Housing, Kalabagan, Lalmatia Block E, Rampura, Ulan, Kathalbagan, Mirpur and Banasree.

Besides installing 15 new deep tube-wells, the Wasa authorities will repair nine others. "All the areas will hopefully be covered in Ramadan," said Rahman.

Wasa will also supply water in trolleys, vehicles and tanks at several public spots of the city. "The spots may be the highly populated areas, shopping malls and government staff quarters." said Rahman.

The decisions were taken at a meeting last month that discussed ways to ensure smooth water supply during the Ramadan, according to Wasa sources.

Various officials pointed out at the meeting that the behaviour and volume of water usage changes during this month. "Maximum volume of water is used during the Iftar and Sehri times in this month," said Rahman.

As water crisis sparks protests in every Ramadan, the Wasa authorities have decided to deploy army at the water pumps, said a Wasa official.

But most city dwellers are still sceptical about these steps. "Sometimes we do not get much water in three or four days at a stretch. I am quite surprised that Wasa authorities identified only Block E and totally forgot about the other affected blocks in Lalmatia," said Feroz Islam, a resident of Block A.

Islam pointed out that after receiving complaints from residents, Wasa officials usually visit the area to solve their problem but for temporary period. "We face the problem again after one or weeks," he complained.

Similar complaints came from the residents of Baishtek, Rampura Bridge, Khilgaon, Islambagh, Bashabo, Lalbagh, Jigatola, Hajaribagh, Paikpara, Satmasjid Road, Badda, Pirerbagh and Ahmednagar areas.

Residents of Manikdi in the cantonment area have been affected the most as they have been facing a water crisis for the last three months. Local residents brought out a 'pitcher procession' last month to protest the problem.

Currently the demand for water is around 200 crore litres per day in Dhaka and Narayanganj. "Wasa is able to supply only 150 to 170 crore litres," said a Wasa official. As such, there is a deficit of around 50 to 30 crore litres.

The Wasa officials blamed low-voltage problem for the water crisis in most areas. "Low-voltage causes low water pressure in the pumps and leads to irregular water supply," said the Wasa information officer.

He added that Wasa needs to repair existing pumps or install new ones in some other areas, which cannot be done at the moment due to lack of fund.

"Around Tk 200 crore water bills remain unpaid by our consumers and we cannot take drastic development programmes due to the huge amount of outstanding bills," said a senior Wasa official.