The Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is awaiting final approval for a major development project involving Tk 3,745 crore aimed at improving the city’s water supply and distribution system.

The Chattogram Water Supply Improvement Project, with financial support from the World Bank, aims to replace 300 km of existing pipelines and install 87,000 smart meters across the city.

The project also plans to establish 46 District Metering Areas (DMAs), enabling better water supply management and continuous monitoring. To ensure water availability during dry seasons, 40 deep tube wells will be installed to deal with emergencies.

According to Chattogram Wasa officials, the project is expected to not only improve the city’s water supply infrastructure but also improve operational efficiency and increase the organization’s revenue.

After completing investigations and preparing the development project proposal, government funding approval was obtained on October 16.

The project appraisal committee approved the proposal on Thursday (November 14) in a meeting chaired by Planning Commission Member (Physical and Infrastructure Division) Soleman Khan.

It is now awaiting final approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), with the loan agreement expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

Chattogram Wasa currently operates a 1,300 km pipeline network covering 168.21 sq km in the city. Previous major pipeline replacement projects include 45 km under Karnaphuli Water Supply Project-01, 150 km under Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Improvement Project (CWSISP ) and 700 km under the city center-focused Karnaphuli-02 water supply project.

Pipeline Network Upgrades, Challenges

Chattogram Wasa currently operates a 1,300 km pipeline network covering 168.21 sq km in the city.

Previous major pipeline replacement projects include 45 km under Karnaphuli Water Supply Project-01, 150 km under Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Improvement Project (CWSISP ) and 700 km under the city center-focused Karnaphuli-02 water supply project.

However, areas like Patenga, Khulshi, Kattali, Zakir Hossain Road, Foy’s Lake, Akbar Shah and Hathazari still depend on 400 km of old pipelines, leading to low water pressure and erratic supply.

Additionally, a 133 km pipeline is being laid in Boalkhali, Patiya and Anwara upazilas under the Bhandal Jhuri water supply project, which is expected to be completed this year.

The city is divided into six hydraulic zones for the management of water supply. The Karnaphuli service area in the city center benefits from the Karnaphuli Water Supply Project-02, with the replacement of pipelines and a DMA system providing uninterrupted supply to 46,000 connections, thereby reducing water consumption. water not billed at 10%.

However, other areas with dilapidated pipes, leaks and illegal connections serve around 40,000 connections without a balanced supply. The new project will benefit around 45,000 connections, serving 10-12 lakh people.

A total of 145 DMAs are required in the operational area, of which 59 are already installed under the Karnaphuli Water Supply Project-02 and 46 more are planned. DMA technology provides real-time monitoring of water supply volume and pressure through a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

Executive engineer of Chattogram Wasa, Rezaul Ahsan Chowdhury, told The Business Standard: “We will retain the good sections of the old pipelines and replace the rest. To address issues like turbidity or salinity of water during monsoon, 40 deep wells in Kalurghat will be constructed. replaced.

“By installing DMAs and smart meters, we will be able to monitor all data related to water supply, pressure and other calculations. Additionally, storage facilities in Nasirabad and Halishahar will be renovated .”

Installation of smart meters, technology upgrades

Chattogram Wasa serves over 91,000 connections, 93% residential and 7% commercial, providing water to nearly 32 lakh people. However, at least 10% of connected users do not receive a regular supply of water.

The organization has a daily water production capacity of 50 crore liters, sourced from the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers, with additional supplies from deep wells.

Sheikh Russel Water Supply Project supplies 9 crore litres, Sheikh Hasina Water Treatment Plants supplies 28.3 crore liters (14.3 crore liters each) and the Sheikh Russell Water Supply Project of Mohra adds 90 million liters. The Bhandal-Juri water supply project, once completed, will increase daily production by 6 crore liters.

The current daily demand for water is 56 crore liters, and is expected to reach 70 crore liters by 2032 and 122 crore liters by 2040.

Chattogram Wasa’s non-revenue water rate is 25-30%, much higher than the global standard of less than 5%. This results in water loss worth Tk 14-17 crore every month.

Long-standing complaints of corruption among meter inspectors and civil servants contributed to a loss of revenue, and management weaknesses prevented these problems from being resolved.

Under the new project, 87,000 automated smart meters will be installed, along with an additional 3,000 smart meters as part of a pilot project.

Chattogram Wasa is also implementing a meter reading application, management dashboard and NRW monitoring tool with support from JICA to improve institutional management and establish a data-driven system. This will help increase revenue collection, eliminate illegal water supply and reduce non-revenue water.

The project will provide water to nearly 40,000 citizens in 19 low-income community areas and improve sanitation for 50,000 slum residents through sanitary latrines, septic tanks and decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

To transform into a modern and customer-friendly organization, the project includes improvements to institutional systems, introduction of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for integrated management of all operations and practical training of three years.

A GIS-based asset management system will also be implemented to manage assets such as water treatment plants and pipelines. In addition, a proposal was made for the construction of a modern warehouse store.

The organization’s chief engineer, Maksud Alam, told TBS: “By installing new pipelines and implementing the DMA system, we will be able to control and monitor the water pressure according to the needs. This will ensure a regular supply of water to customers and help reduce the rate of pollution. non-revenue water.”

Successful cost savings in previous projects

Karnaphuli-02 Chattogram Wasa Water Supply Project saved Tk 1,407 crore with the project cost amounting to Tk 3,082.86 crore, compared to the initial estimate of Tk 4,489 .15 crores.

The project included construction of a water treatment plant with a daily capacity of 14.3 crore liters, 692 km of distribution pipelines, 59 DMAs and 35.3 km of transportation and transmission pipelines, and was completed in June 2023.

An evaluation report by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Planning in June 2024 showed savings in various areas, including Tk 527 crore in unplanned expenditure (which was not used), Tk 277 crore in customs duty, VAT, Tk 19 crore in compensation, Tk 9 crore. in support of project implementation and nearly Tk 5 crore in repairs and maintenance.

Project superintendent engineer Maksud Alam said: “No public funds were wasted. No unnecessary expenses were incurred, hence savings were made.”