We are at a loss to understand why the authorities are assuming such a lacklustre attitude in solving the water scarcity in Sylhet, which has all but crippled the city. The Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) is only being able to supply 3 crore litres of water a day as opposed to the demand for 8 crore litres of water. Many areas of the burgeoning city remain without supply lines altogether, and residents claim that even areas with water connections do not supply water on a regular basis, although the authorities bill them for water usage anyway. 

What is even more flabbergasting is that a new surface water treatment plant, whose construction work under the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) was completed a couple of months ago, is still not operational. It is feared that the plant, which cost a whopping Tk 130 crore and was supposed to add 2.8 crore litres of water using water from the Surma river to the daily supply, may not be functional as the water level of Surma is "below expectation." Why, we wonder, are we only realising this now, when the project has been already been completed? Did we not conduct a situation analysis prior to constructing the treatment plant with the taxpayers' money? 

Meanwhile, by pinpointing the fingers at DPHE and the consumers themselves, the SCC seems to be shirking its own responsibilities. It must solve this crisis without any delay, for access to safe water is a basic requisite of a nation that prides itself on its GDP growth and development. An alternative way to make the treatment plant work has to be devised without any bureaucratic delay.