Residents can’t expect safe water from WASA under its present MD

The water of Dhaka WASA, still headed by its allegedly corrupt MD, Taksim A Khan, is of little household use. Almost all areas of the capital including Jatrabari, Jurain, Mir Hazirbagh, Gendaria, Islampur, Lalbagh, Bashabo, Shajahanpur, Malibagh, Mirpur, etc. has become unusable even for bathing and other household uses, let alone drinking.
 According to a report in this newspaper yesterday, researchers found coliform and E-coli bacteria in WASA water at the hazardous level. Lab tests revealed that the level of faecal coliform in samples of WASA supplied water was 240mpn/100ml. But coliform and E-coli bacteria should be zero in drinkable water, experts say.
The WASA water is often found black and foamy and eyes start burning after washing with this water. Obviously, if the WASA does not take immediate steps to supply pure water, it may turn into a serious health problem for the city dwellers of the respective areas.
For a long time, we have been hearing about this condition of WASA water, but authorities at this very important utility service have conspicuously failed to provide usable water to the inhabitants. Developed countries apart, even in many countries of our region, before drinking, people do not have to boil water supplied by their governments, unlike Bangladesh. Those who drink the WASA water straight without taking any measure for making it pure are known to suffer from various stomach ailments.
There is another problem too. People in many parts of the city do not get even this unusable water at all. True, supplied water, like gas and electricity, is misused by many people and they need to be cautious about the practice, but WASA’s failure to provide usable water to the inhabitants of the city is still more glaring.
WASA does not give water to Dhaka residents for free; they have to pay money for that. For many, the household monthly bill for WASA water is greater than what they monthly pay for Titas gas. Yet Bangladesh is not a country in a desert area, here water is aplenty, but the gas resources are scarce.
For a long time, we heard a lot of complaints of financial embezzlement about WASA MD Taksim A Khan who has been in charge of this public utility service provider since 2009. This person takes a huge amount of salary and enjoys other costly perks and privileges, but mostly resides in the US. What does he do there? Just recently, he applied for work virtually from the US and the government, denying him that due to criticism, allowed six weeks’ leave which was also mind-boggling.
Not long ago, Taksim A Khan claimed, facing public disparagement, that WASA supplies ‘drinkable’ water, not ‘drinking’ water. Well, there might be semantic differences between these two words. But by his own standards, is the water that contains 240mpn/100ml level of faecal coliform ‘drinkable’? Yet, we notice the government extends his service again and again even though WASA under him is failing to provide even ‘drinkable’-his word-water to the residents.
In this extension of his service, there is no mystery however. A government that allows public entities to go corrupt for remaining in power, there can be no better choice than this Taksim A Khan.