Dhaka MPs wary of outburst over water crunch

Dhaka's MPs have warned of a violent public outburst if the government does not ease soon the severe water crisis in the capital, with the spectre of water and electricity crises deepening in the coming hot months. The MPs put the crisis down to a lack of deep tube-wells, land crunch for installing new ones, rundown pumps and a lack of alternate power generators at the pumps.

Dhaka, Mar 11 (bdnews24.com) - Dhaka's MPs have warned of a violent public outburst if the government does not ease soon the severe water crisis in the capital, with the spectre of water and electricity crises deepening in the coming hot months.

Local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam said the government would issue executive orders directing MPs of the Dhaka metropolitan and Narayanganj constituencies to coordinate the services of utility agencies, including water, power, and law and order.

The MPs from Dhaka-16, 15, 14, 12, 10, 6, 4 constituencies led by Ashraf met Wednesday to find out emergency measures to address the water crisis. Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority managing director Raihanul Abedin, among others, also attended the meeting.

The MPs put the crisis down to a lack of deep tube-wells, land crunch for installing new ones, rundown pumps and a lack of alternate power generators at the pumps.

Dhaka-12 MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said the WASA's information on water crisis was wrong and asked the WASA and the local government ministry to think long-term to address the issue.

Kamal Ahmed Majumder, the MP for Dhaka-15 constituency, referred to the agitation by residents of Mirpur Senpara area for water. He warned that the public anger might well take a violent turn like in Jatrabari in the capital a few years back.

Mizanur Rahman Khan Dipu, the MP from Dhaka-6, also spoke of his constituency's growing resentment over the water crisis.

Abedin, the WASA MD, said a lack of land stopped them from setting up more deep tube-wells. He also attributed the crisis to a plummeting underground and surface water level.

He said they could start setting up tube-wells in a week if land was found.

Ashraful said a committee will be formed comprising public works, land, and local government ministries, city development authority RAJUK, WASA and Dhaka City Corporation to find out land for deep tube-wells.

He also asked the MPs to go to their constituencies instead of confining themselves to paper works.

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