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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that her government has taken adequate steps for the overall development of the armed forces to safeguard the country's independence and sovereignty, but it has no intention to wage war with anyone.
"Actually, we don't want to wage war against anyone. We only strive to safeguard our Independence and sovereignty," she said.
The prime minister said this while commissioning naval base BNS Sher-e-Bangla and eight ships, including four Landing Craft Utility (LCU)s, at Kolapara in Patuakhali. She joined the programme virtually from Ganobhaban, her official residence.
The ships were built at Khulna Shipyard.
She said that the government has taken steps to scale up the armed forces including the navy at par with global naval benchmarks.
In this connection, PM Hasina said that apart from the procurement of helicopters and equipment, the construction of several warships is underway to strengthen surveillance and security at sea.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal also spoke at the programme.
A documentary on the naval base Sher-e-Bangla and eight ships were screened in the programme.
Earlier, the navy chief handed over command to the respective commanders of the base and the ships.
PM to open South Asia's largest single STP
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate South Asia's largest single sewage treatment plant (STP), having a capacity of treating 5 million sewage per day, in the city's Khilgaon area tomorrow, which will save the rivers surrounding the capital from pollution.
"The Prime Minister will formally commission the operation of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant in Dhaka, the first of its kind in the country on Thursday," said Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Managing Director Taqsem A Khan.
Briefing newsmen about the plant at its office site in Dhaka's Aftabnagar on Tuesday, he said the plant has the capacity of treating 5 million metric tons of sewage every day which is 20 to 25 per cent of the total sewage, weighing 2000 million metric tons, in the capital.
The Dhaka WASA chief said they will build four more sewage treatment plants, one each in Pagla, Uttara, Rayerbazar and Mirpur areas in accordance with a master plan to treat 100 per cent sewage of Dhaka by 2030, 90 per cent of which through pipeline coverage and remaining 10 per cent collecting from houses.
The plant helps implement SDG Goal-6 by ensuring a better waste management system across the country by 2030, he said, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the pioneer in bringing the country under a proper waste management system.
"Such kind of single sewage treatment plant is nowhere in South Asia and it is the largest one in the region. This is the best one," he said.
Taqsem said the plant is environment-friendly, sustainable and people-friendly.
"Treated water from sewage is falling into the water of the Balu River which improves the quality of the river water and the water is as good as drinkable ones. It is possible to drink the water by treating that further," he said.
The land acquisition for the Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant has already been completed while the process to acquire land for Rayerbazar is almost complete.
The Dhaka WASA boss said the fly ashes, the by-product of the sewage, will be sold to the cement factories as those are required to produce cement, he said, adding that three cement factories are now taking the fly ashes on an experimental basis and formal agreements will later be signed with them.
He said Dhaka WASA has digitized 70 per cent of its activities in line with the government's initiative to make Bangladesh Digital.
The Padma and Sayedabad Treatment plants have been made fully automated.
"We are companions of the government in its journey towards the highway of development," he said.
Project Director Md Mohsin Ali Miah and Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher were present during the briefing.
The Dasherkandi Treatment Plant is adjacent to Aftabnagar and will treat the sewerage of several areas of the capital, including Gulshan, Banani, Tejgaon, Niketon, Maghbazar, Malibah, Aftabnagar, Badda, Kalabagan, Panthapath, Dhanmondi and Hatirjheel.
The China-funded project was implemented on about 62.2 acres of land at the cost of Tk 3,482.42 crore.
Out of the total cost, Tk 1,106.42 crore is raised by the GoB fund, while Tk 10 crore will be funded by WASA and the remaining Tk 2,366 crore will be funded by the Export-Import Bank of China as project assistance.
The project has a sludge drying-burning system with a processing capacity of about 560 tonnes per day. The construction work started on August 1, 2017.
The project, designed and constructed by Chengdu Engineering Corporation under PowerChina, with one year of operations and maintenance, was handed over to WASA.
The Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant was constructed as part of the master plan taken up by WASA in 2013 to construct five treatment plants to prevent river pollution around Dhaka.
According to the project, a waste lifting station is being constructed on the west side of Rampura Bridge at Pragati Sarani, a five-kilometre trunk sewer line from Rampura to Aftabnagar and the main treatment plant at Dasherkandi.
