Dhaka households burn Tk 3.32bn of gas to boil water, says TIB

About 91 percent of households in Dhaka burn gas worth Tk 3.32 billion in order to boil the water supplied by the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, or WASA, says a new study.

The study released by anti-graft watchdog Transparency International Bangladesh, or TIB, on Wednesday found numerous irregularities at WASA.

According to the study, 51.5 percent of consumers in Dhaka said that the water supplied by the state-run utility company is contaminated.

Furthermore, 41.4 percent said the water was stinking while 34.5 percent said the water was both contaminated and stinking throughout the year.

The study was carried out using samples collected between April last year and March of this year from residential, commercial, industrial and slum areas under 10 WASA zones.

“Supplied water is drinkable in many countries of the world. The water can even be directly consumed in many Asian countries. But we cannot think of doing it in Bangladesh,” said TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman speaks during the launch of a study titled 'Dhaka Wasa: Challenges for Good Governance and Way Forward' at Midas Centre in Dhaka on Wednesday. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

The WASA’s lone waste treatment having the capacity to treat 15,00,000 cubic metres of waste per day is now capable of handling only 50,000 cubic metres of waste.

Although 14,00,000 cubic metres of waste was being produced per day in the capital, 96 percent of the waste was being dumped in different canals and drains.

The untreated waste finally finds its way to the rivers, the study found.

Describing different irregularities plaguing the water supplier, the TIB executive director said, “The WASA board has become ineffective. It is controlled exclusively by the managing director."

Around 62 percent of the service seekers from the state-run utility company were the victims of irregularities, harassment and corruption, said the report.

One has to offer bribes from Tk 200 to Tk 30,000 for a water connection, Tk 300 to Tk 4,500 for cleaning the sewerage line, Tk 200 to Tk 1,500 for the supply of emergency water, Tk 1,000 to Tk 15,000 for purchasing or fixing a meter, Tk 50 to Tk 3,000 for meter reading and bill related issues and Tk 100,000 to Tk 200,000 for setting up tube wells.