A severe heatwave is sweeping across the country. Public life in the capital has become unbearable in the scorching heat. The demand for water has also increased due to hot weather. Among them, the elite residential area of the city, Gulshan, has suffered water shortages. Besides, it is alleged that the water supplied by WASA in Jurain, Nandipara is unfit for consumption.
However, Dhaka WASA claims that the demand for water in the areas under WASA has increased a lot during the intense heat. But overall there is no shortage of water supply. And no one complained of water shortage in any area of Dhaka including Gulshan. WASA is working in areas where water quality is not good. It is known that Dhaka Wasa has 10 regional offices. Among them, Gulshan-2 falls under Mods Zone-5. There is water shortage in houses and commercial buildings from road number 55 to 74 in this area. Local residents have complained that household work is not being done on time due to water shortage.
Mahtab Uddin, a resident of Gulshan Road No. 55, said that since the onset of severe heat wave, water is not available properly in the Wasar line. That is, earlier whenever the motor was started, water was found in the line. Now WASA is giving water to the line at certain times of the day. Apart from this, water is not available in the line at other times. Two days ago the matter was reported to WASA hotline but no remedy was found.
Syed Ahsan Habib, general secretary of Gulshan Society, said that there has been a water crisis in Gulshan road number 55 to 74 for quite some time. The matter has been reported to WASA. But there is no solution. Now information is being collected from different areas of Gulshan about Wasar water.
However, Mohammad Tauhid Elahi, executive engineer of Wasser Mods Zone-5, said otherwise. He said that they are providing water regularly in Gulshan. No one contacted WASA about the water crisis. However, when heat wave or water demand increases, not all lines have water pressure at the same time. The matter will be looked into seriously.
On the other hand, Nandipara area falls under Wasar Zone-6. Although there is not much water shortage in this area, the water provided by WASA cannot be used, said the councilor of ward number 74 of Dhaka South City Corporation. Azizul Haque
He said, earlier there was severe water shortage in Nandipara area. After I was elected as a councillor, I installed three separate pumps called WASA. Among them, the two water pumps installed in central and eastern Nandipara last year are now unusable. Water contains a lot of iron. The matter was reported to Wasa but they did not take any further action.
An official of Dhaka Wasa, who did not want to be named, said that every year in April-May, there is a water crisis in the capital. This year also the demand for water has increased in summer. However, water extraction from deep tubewells has reduced in some places due to the decrease in groundwater level. There is a problem in the supply of water compared to the demand.
In 2019, Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Jurain, wanted to make syrup from waste water supplied by WASA and feed it to the managing director of the organization. After this incident, a wide discussion was created across the country. But Mizanur Rahman complained that Jurain’s image has not changed even after all these years.
He said that the water supplied to the house from the water line is unusable. This water cannot be boiled even for drinking. And because there is no alternative way, it is forced to be used for household work. As a result, citizens are suffering from diarrhea and other diseases. Most of the people of Jurain collect drinking water from deep tube wells of nearby mosques, madrasas or factories. But it is very hard work. It is not possible for everyone to go far and carry water. As such, the water shortage in Jurain still remains.
In this regard, Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taksim A Khan said that the production of water in Dhaka is more than the demand. Now I have not heard about water shortage anywhere in Dhaka. No one has complained to WASA hotline number (16162) either. Complaints will be resolved if received. And in the areas around Dhaka including Jurain, Nandipara, the construction of new WASA lines is going on. After these works are completed, there will be no more problems in any area.
Yazadi/S
