Dhaka WASA likely to miss deadline again

The safe drinking water supply authority Dhaka WASA is going to miss its latest deadline for implementing Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project again.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) started the project in April 2016 and was set to accomplish the task by December 2021. But they failed and the government extended the deadline by two more years.

As per the extended time the project was supposed to be completed by December 2023.

An evaluation report made by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) in May this year said the total progress of the project was only 23.48 percent.

The progress of the project is very slow and it will be impossible for WASA to complete the project within the timeline, IMED observed.

According to Dhaka WASA the financial progress of the project till June 22 was 27.48 percent while the physical progress was 59.05 percent.

Terming it not properly updated the officials of Dhaka WASA, however, denied IMED report and said the project would be completed within the projected time.

In its report IMED argued that with the delay in implementation of the project the expense of the project would be increased.

Initially the budget for the project was TK3182, 30 crore which has already been raised to Tk3780, 00 crore.

AM Mostafa Tarek, Deputy Chief Public Information Officer of Dhaka WASA, said when IMED report was made the project was in a complex situation but now most of the complexity had been pulled off and the project was progressing fast.

There are some 145 DMAs (District Metered Area) in the project and 71 of them have already been completed, he added.

The Business Post tried to reach Project Director Abdul Latif at his office but Dhaka WASA Security Staff Sabbir Hossain did not let the reporter meet him saying they had been strictly ordered not to let any media person to talk to officials without any authorization from the Managing Director.

However, the Business Post was able to reach Supervisor of the Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project, Director (technical) Engineer AKM Shahid Uddin who said the project could have been accomplished within the stipulated time if only the city corporation had properly cooperated.

“We have foreign consultants sitting idle in the country as they could not start working without permission. Non-corporation has delayed the project for three years,” he alleged.

Dhaka WASA has completed 15 of the 16 DMAs in Uttara but could not be able to start the work in DMA 908 as water supply couldn’t be ensured. The same thing had happened in Katashur of Mohammadpur area as well, the official explained.

IMED made Dhaka WASA responsible for the situation.

According to its report while formulating budget Dhaka WASA did not have any consultation from the officials of the city corporation concerned that has brought it to a standstill over road digging.

As the contractors have to pay bills to the city corporations for digging the roads belonging to city corporations, they do not want to pay more than they are receiving from the project allocation.

Not solving the issue now stands as the biggest obstacle in the way of the project.

Delay in the maintenance and replacement work is also causing sufferings for people as well, The IMED report mentioned. The IMED raised question over public awareness campaign as well.

According to the report, some Tk9.69 crore has been used for campaign. But visiting several areas in the city IMED found no sign of awareness campaign.

The Business Post could not be able to reach Managing Director Engineer Taqsem A Khan over his cell phone.

Meanwhile, Chief Engineer of Dhaka South City Corporation Saleh Ahmed also accused Dhaka WASA of the prevailing situation. He said: “We have never given permission for road digging during rainy season and it is Dhaka WASA that did not submit the application in time.”

“We gave demand quotation to Dhaka WASA on 16 January and they paid the fees on 06 April, almost three months after the required time. If they work in this manner how a city corporation is to blame,” he questioned.