New sewerage treatment plant for Dhaka in limbo
Cabinet refuses approval for $280m LGRD project
UNB
Uncertainty looms over the fate of a sewerage treatment plant of Dhaka Wasa at Dareshkandi as the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee has recently refused to approve its Chinese contractors unsolicited offer for not having an approved development project proposal (DPP), reports UNB. Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Ministry undertook the project at a cost of $280 million (equivalent to about Tk 3317 crore) to treat the sewerage water of major parts of Dhaka city that has now been falling in the Balu River through Hatirjheel project.
The sewerage water of Dhaka citys Dhanmondi, Kalabagan, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Bashundhara, Mohakhali, DOHS, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Eskaton, Niketon, Aftabnagar and Badda areas are now pouring into the Balu River through the Hatirjheel project.
After a long negotiation, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) initiated a primary contract to award the project to Chinese firm-Hydrochina Corporation, according to officials. They said the Chinese firms unsolicited offer was entertained because of the Chinese governments financial support for the project. As per the initial agreement, Dhaka Wasa was supposed to sign the final deal by August 31 this year.
Keeping in mind the agreement signing deadline, the LGRD Ministry placed the proposal on behalf its subordinate body to the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee for its approval.
The Chinese firm told the Dhaka Wasa that if the final agreement is not inked within the stipulated timeframe, then it will withdraw itself from the project, said the officials.
When the Cabinet body was considering the proposal at its meeting on August 19, it found a major fault in the proposal that it does not contain an Approved DPP which is mandatory for such project.
Against this backdrop, the Cabinet body refused to approve the proposal and asked the Wasa management to seek one/two months time from the Chinese firm to extend their deadline and take approval for the projects DPP.
According to the sources, the Cabinet body also advised the LGRD Ministry and its subordinate body Wasa to take initiatives to look for new international contractor if the Chinese firm does not agree to extend the deadline for the final contract. Under the circumstances, many officials apprehend that the disapproval may push the water treatment plant project into uncertainty.
Dhaka WASA managing director Taksem A Khan could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts over mobile phone. Official documents show that the Dhaka Wasa presently supplies cent per cent water to its consumers. But its sewerage service coverage is only 20 per cent. To overcome the problem, the Wasa has planned to build a total of 11 water sewerage treatment plants, of which 6 will be built initially.
Among them, the first one will be built at Dareshkandi point of the Balu River in the eastern part of Dhaka city. Dhaka Wasa took up the project as the first one mainly considering its Saidabad Water treatment plant which is now at stake in receiving water from the Shitalakhya River which is connected with the Balu River. If the Dareshkandi sewerage treatment plant is built, it is expected to help improve the quality of water of the Shitalakhya River, according to the documents.
