Lack of adequate water supply: City dwellers’ sufferings deepen
UNB, Dhaka :
Sufferings of the city dwellers deepened in the capital for lack of adequate water supply by the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (Dwasa) amid frequent power cuts and the sweltering summer heat.
People living in Badda, Rampura, Sabujbagh, Basabo, Khilgaon, Gulbagh, Rajarbagh, Malibagh, Mowchak, Moghbazar, New
Eskaton Road, Elephand Road, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Dhanmondi, Uttar Adabar, Indira Road, Monipuripara, Gopibagh, Nowabpur, Hazaribagh and some others parts of old Dhaka are facing acute water crisis in this summer.
“We’ve not got a single drop of water over the last three days, making our lives miserable,” Jubair Hasan, a resident of New Eskaton Road, told UNB. Describing his sufferings, he said he could not take bath for three days for lack of supply of Dwasa water. “At last, I went to a friend’ s house for taking a bath and get some sort of relief from the persisting heat wave.”
Narrating similar experience, Tabarul Haque, a resident of Bara Moghbazar, said he has been moving from one house of friend to another as there is no water supply in his residence for the last couple of days. Dwasa is currently capable of producing 242 crore litres of water per day against the usual demand of 220-225 crore litres. But, according to recent report submitted to the Local Government Ministry, Dwasa is producing about 229 crore litres due to power shortfall against the current demand of 249 crore litres.
The Dwasa produces 78 percent of its water from ground water source through pumping. A total of 234 out of 670 deep tubewells of Dwasa remain inoperative frequently due to power cuts. The report says the tubewells often stop their operation due to low voltage, high voltage of electricity and loadshedding.
When contacted, SDM Quamrul Alam Chowdhury, Dwasa deputy managing director said that Dwasa is facing problems to supply water to city dwellers as the demand has increased in the city and groundwater level declined in the summer.