Water woes hit Ctg city as summer sets in

With the onset of the summer season, a scarcity of freshwater emerged in Chattogram City, causing hardship to its residents, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), the primary provider of freshwater in the region, attributes the underlying cause of this scarcity to climate change, specifically the increasing salinity levels in the river water of the port city, resulting in a reduction of freshwater production by around 16-18%, translating to a deficit of 8-9 crore litres.

Due to a decline in Wasa's daily production of fresh water, from 50 crore litres to around 41-42 crore litres, several parts of the city are now facing water shortages. These areas include Patenga, Kathgarh, EPZ, Halishahar, Pahartali, and Chawkbazar.

Chittagong WASA Chief Engineer Makshud Alam told TBS, "We usually obtain fresh water from the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers. However, recent abnormal increases in river water salinity, spiking from the typical 200-300mg per litre to 3500 mg, have made it unsuitable for treatment. As a result, we have suspended water collection from Halda for 8-9 hours daily." 

Additionally, Insufficient rainfall has lowered the Karnaphuli River water level, resulting in a one-hour pause in collection from that source, he said.

"Under the circumstances, 54 deep tube wells have been activated to fetch 1-1.5 crore litres of water. However, a deficit remains. Water distribution is being managed through rationing," the chief engineer added.

Presently, Chattogram Wasa caters to 78,542 residential and 7,767 commercial customers. Among these, around 10,000 customers alleged that they experienced irregular water supply despite paying bills. Moreover, 40% of the city's population still lacks access to Wasa water.

Rafid Hasan, a resident of Chattogram's New Mooring area, told TBS, "Previously, I received Wasa water twice a week. However, this month, I only received water once. We are compelled to depend on deep tube wells."

Afroza Kalam, a Chattogram WASA board member and reserved woman councillor of Chattogram City Corporation, told TBS, "There have been reports of water shortages in certain areas and complaints of salty water in others. I have duly notified the Wasa authorities."

According to Chattogram Wasa data, the demand for fresh water in the port city is rising by around five crore litres annually. The daily water demand is projected to reach 63 crore litres by 2032 and 122 crore litres by 2042. 

Chattogram Wasa currently obtains fresh water from four refineries after collecting untreated water through three intake stations — an infrastructure that extracts water from a source such as a river or lake and transports it to a water treatment facility or distribution system. 

Among these intake stations, the Rangunia intake station has a capacity of 30 crore litres per day, while the Mohra and Madunaghat intake stations each have a capacity of 9 crore litres per day. 

Additionally, as part of the ongoing Bhandaljuri water supply project in Boalkhali, construction is underway for an intake station with a capacity of 6.6 crore litres per day, scheduled for completion in June of this year.

A perennial issue

Since 1994, residents of Chittagong City have endured recurring salinity issues nearly every year. During the dry season, insufficient water flow from upstream prompts the river to draw in saline water from the Bay of Bengal to compensate for the deficit.

Wasa officials said climate change is worsening the challenges associated with freshwater production. Nevertheless, Wasa authorities plan to embark on a new project valued at around $400 million to address the salinity issue.

A $400m project to address water scarcity

The planned project aims to address the salinity problem with an emphasis on the construction of alternative intake stations, pre-settlement reservoirs, and construction of new refineries.

Two international cooperation agencies — the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) — have expressed interest in implementing the project, Wasa officials said.

France-based consulting firm, SUEZ, submitted a concept paper for the project in August last year.

Based on the concept paper, the Preliminary Development Project Proposal (PDPP) has been prepared and sent to the Economic Relations Division (ERD) by Chattogram Wasa, which is currently under review. However, due to the economic condition of the country, the project is progressing a bit slowly, said a source at Chattogram Wasa.

As per project documents reviewed by TBS, the concept paper proposes a three-part infrastructure development strategy to accommodate future water demand. The initial segment of the concept paper outlines plans for establishing an intake station and pre-settlement reservoir at Bhandaljuri, with the capacity to collect 84 crore litres of untreated water daily.

Additionally, plans include the establishment of a water pump station with a daily capacity of 63 crore litres, a river crossing pipeline (beneath the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers) capable of transporting 42 crore litres per day from Bhandaljuri to the Mohra and Madunaghat water treatment plants and the construction of a new water treatment plant in Mohra with a capacity of 20 crore litres per day. 

To expand service coverage, the concept paper also suggests the installation of pipelines and reservoirs to facilitate supply from Mohra to Bayezid Link Road.

As the Mohra water treatment plant has usable land, it is recommended to construct two more new treatment plants in the second and third parts of the concept paper.

Engineer AKM Fazlullah, managing director of Chattogram Wasa, told TBS, "Climate change is creating a crisis and actions to address the crisis must be taken in advance. The project has been planned keeping in mind the future crisis."