Denmark finances €300m in water infrastructure in Bangladesh

Denmark will loan €300 million to Bangladesh to address the growing need of clean water for the increasing population of Dhaka.

The Danish government is providing the loan through Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF) for the design and construction of Saidabad Water Treatment Plant's Phase III, said a press release. 

Dhaka WASA is in charge of implementation of the expansion of surface water treatment facilities at Saidabad Water Treatment Plant through Phase III of the project.

The maximum financing amount is Danish Kroner 2,239 million (€300 million approximately). This expansion will be the largest water infrastructure financing project for DSIF.

Rampant use of groundwater is leading to depletion, so Bangladesh has shifted to using surface water sources. As a result, the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant was developed. Phase I and II of the project are sourcing water from the Shitalakhkha River, but Phase III will source raw water from Meghna, reads the release.

This treatment plant is set to be one of the biggest water infrastructure projects in the world, both in terms of water intake as well as treatment capacity. It will have an additional capacity of treating 450,000-metre cube water per day. 

Additionally, there will be a sludge treatment plant designed to serve the full capacity of the entire plant, including all phases, it further said.

Once Phase III is completed and in operation, an additional 30 lakh city dwellers will be served with treated surface water instead of groundwater. 

This project directly contributes to SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 6 (Clean water to all), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 11 (sustainable cities) and SDG 13 (climate action), said the media release.