BANGLADESH

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has dropped the hint that water tariff may be increased to prevent waste in the subsidised sector.

At a views-exchange meeting in the city on the use of water on Monday, WASA managing director Taksim A Khan said that there was no alternative to raising the price of water to check its wastage.

He said that the water tariff in Dhaka city was comparatively low than any other cities across the world.

"It will be very difficult to run the organisation by providing subsidy if the water tariff is not increased," he added.

The water tariff was increased to Tk 6.66 from Tk 6.34 for 1000 liters of water (1 unit) on Aug 1 last year for the last time.

In 2009, WASA charged Tk 5.57 per unit which was raised in 2010 to Tk 6.04 in the first phase and Tk 6.34 in the second phase.

The Dhaka WASA chief said the process to repair and replace the shabby pipelines was in progress. "The work has already started by dividing the whole city into 81 areas and it is expected to be completed by the next two years."

The WASA pipelines in a number of areas have become ramshackle over the years causing leakage of a huge quantity of water on the one hand and disruption in water supply on the other.

Khan claimed that the wastage and illegal business in water take place mostly in the slum areas.

International Training Network (ITN) Centre of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) organised the discussion at the National Press Club.

Reading out the keynote paper, ITN director Prof Mohammad Mofizur Rahman stressed on the use of water from alternative sources by reducing dependence on ground water, considering the growing demand.

Former chief engineer of the Public Health Engineering Directorate Aminuddin Ahmed and incumbent chief engineer Mohammad Nuruzzaman, among others, also spoke in the programme.