Water management mess

As it is, there has been a deficit of .2 billion litres of potable water in the capital and the only water treatment plant in Saidabad is unable to meet the growing water supply needs of the burgeoning city. To make matters even worse, the piped water supplied in Dhaka is not drinkable. The situation turns acute during the lean season when Dhaka Wasa provides its customers with germ-infested malodorous water. Now, thanks to a TIB-led research we know what ails this vital utility service. 

It seems that the chain of control in both Dhaka Wasa and the Bangladesh Water Development Board has been in tatters. From selection procedure to issuance of work orders, both the government-run bodies have become infested with corruption. As the report finds out, Wasa employees in league with political activists have formed area-based syndicates that are virtually controlling water supply in the capital. Not only that, the BWDB officials who have been entrusted with responsibilities for the water resources do not oversee project work or report to the headquarters. 

We urge the government to immediately probe allegations of corruption in Dhaka Wasa and the BWDB. Basically it is an issue of governance and should be addressed as such.