Dhaka North City, WASA sign agreement for safe, sustainable sewage management

Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) signed an agreement on safe and sustainable sewage management.

The memorandum of understanding (MoA) was signed between Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka Wasa at Hotel Westin in the capital on Tuesday (10 October).

Chief Waste Management Officer of Dhaka North City SM Shariful Islam and Chief Engineer of Dhaka Wasa Md Kamrul Hasan signed the MoU in the presence of guests. Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam presided over the session while Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Md Tajul Islam was present as the chief guest.

By signing this Memorandum of Understanding titled "Strengthening the Collaboration between DNCC and DWASA to improve Fecal Sludge Management through Piloting on Scheduled Desludging Initiative", Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka Wasa has taken up the responsibility to carry out scheduled desludging of sewage from the residences of city dwellers in different areas and provide extraction services. It has been decided to take the collected waste and polluted water primarily to South Asia's largest sewage treatment plant located at Dasherkandi, for purification and return to the environment.

It will be implemented by DNCC and Dhaka WASA in collaboration with UNICEF and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said, "This initiative of safe and sustainable sewage management by DNCC and Dhaka WASA will bring benefits to build a pollution-free city. However, instead of depending on the government it is possible to prevent pollution if everyone spends a little money and installs a treatment plant at their home.

"We did a survey a few days ago. It was found that 99.99% of houses in areas like Baridhara do not have sewage system. But the price of land in Baridhara is more than Manhattan. Villages are also doing their own sewage management using soakwells. But it is very sad that in areas like Gulshan, Baridhara, houses are being built at the cost of crores of taka, but sewage treatment plants are not being set up which costs only four to five lakh taka. Sewage black water is being disposed of by connection to surface drains. We have already surveyed Zone-03 of DNCC. Measures will be taken to stop them by surveying all the regions in stages."

Initially sewage of the areas of Zone-3 of Dhaka North City Corporation namely Gulshan, Banani, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Baridhara, Kalachandpur, Shahjadpur, Karail, Mohakhali, Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon, Malibagh, Begunbari, Kunipara, Nakhalpara, Moghbazar, Diluroad, New Eskaton Road, and Madhubagh will be experimentally disposed of.