China eyes Tk10,000cr Dhaka slum housing
China has primarily agreed to invest in a nearly Tk 10,000 crore project to provide modern, rent-free housing for residents of Korail, Sat Tola and Bhasantek slums in Dhaka, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said on Thursday.
The proposed investment emerged during a meeting between Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and newly appointed LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan at the Secretariat.
China is considering phased investment in the proposed housing project if it cannot finance the entire scheme at once, according to Mir Shahe Alam.
“They have said that even if they cannot invest the entire amount at once, they will invest here in phases on a priority basis,” the state minister told reporters after the meeting.
The Local Government Division has already submitted a proposal to China through the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to develop modern housing in the three slum areas.
Under the proposal, residents would be provided with modern housing and would be able to live there without paying rent, Shahe Alam said.
The discussions with the Chinese side also covered potential investment in waste-to-energy projects, sewerage systems and solar power generation, reflecting a broader push for Chinese participation in Bangladesh’s urban infrastructure.
A Chinese company is currently working on a waste-to-energy project at the Aminbazar landfill.
Once operational, the facility is expected to generate 42 megawatts of electricity from waste and supply it to the national grid.
The government aims to begin supplying electricity to the grid within the next 18 months, Shahe Alam said.
A formal tripartite agreement for the project is expected to be signed in Beijing on September 2.
He said agreements had already been reached among the relevant parties, while the final financing agreement would be signed between the investing bank, the company and the relevant Bangladeshi parties.
Shahe Alam also said PowerChina had been requested to take steps to begin work on the project quickly.
The landfill waste could potentially generate around 40 to 50 megawatts of electricity daily for supply to the national grid, he added.
Bangladesh has also sought Chinese assistance to fully operationalise the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant project.
At present, about 30 per cent of the sewerage connections are operational, while the remaining 70 per cent have yet to be completed.
A project proposal worth around Tk 1,000 crore has been submitted to the Planning Commission to connect Gulshan, Baridhara and Banani with the system.
“If they can invest, the pressure on our state coffers will be reduced at this moment. We will not need the Tk 1,000 crore,” Mir Shahe Alam said, adding that China had also agreed to work on the matter.
The meeting also discussed Chinese cooperation in solar power generation.
The government plans to install solar panels on the roofs of government institutions, including union parishad and upazila parishad offices, municipalities, city corporations and rural markets.
No specific investment amount was mentioned for the solar power initiative.
The state minister said Chinese banks and businesses would invest in the sector as required.
The proposed housing scheme for Korail, Sat Tola and Bhasantek forms part of wider efforts to address housing and urban infrastructure needs in Dhaka.
The discussions with China now extend beyond housing to waste management, electricity generation, sewerage and renewable energy, with the government seeking foreign investment to reduce pressure on public finances while expanding essential urban services.
