DHAKA, Bangladesh, July 29, 2004, (The Financial Express) -- The Danish government has finally agreed to finance the Tk 4.0 billion (Tk = taka, the local currency; 60 Tk = US$1) Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant (Phase-2) with a treatment capacity of 220 million liters of water daily.
A formal agreement will be signed between the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the officials concerned of the Danish government in September next, sources said.
The Danish authorities communicated this decision to the WASA through a letter June 23. "DANIDA will provide major portion of the fund for the project. We are now taking preparation to sign the agreement with the official concerned of this development agency of the Danish governments," the WASA official said, adding that the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) will share a portion of the loan.
Last February 21, a two-member team of the Danish government visited the plant site at Sayedabad and held separate meetings with the officials concerned of the LGRD ministry and the WASA about the plant.
The plant will collect water from Padma for treatment and supply to city dwellers.
The last Awami League government constructed the Phase-1 of the plant having the water treatment capacity of 225 million liters daily. The World Bank and the Japanese government provided funds for the project that was completed in 1999.
The WASA has long been facing difficulties in ensuring uninterrupted supply of drinking water for the city dwellers as the overall demand goes up by 100 to 150 million liters annually.
With the onset of the summer, water crisis becomes acute in different parts of the city, mounting the miseries of the people. The consumption generally goes up by additional 150 million liters daily in summer.
WASA has a total production capacity of 1.50 billion liters of water daily against the demand of over 2.0 billion liters. During summer, WASA can produce additional 200 million liters daily by using deep tubewells but the demand at the same time goes up by 300 to 400 million liters.
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