A project worth more than 5000 crores of two more catchments for the planned sewerage project in Chittagong metropolis has been approved by Ekne yesterday. However, it will not be possible to start work on the project now. Work on the Kalurghat and Baklia sections of the sewerage project will begin only after the approval of another Rs 2,000 crore land acquisition project. A catchment that started earlier–The work of 1 has already been completed 60 percent. Kattali area catchment funded by AFD, the French development aid agency–Another project worth Rs 2700 crore of 5 may be approved next week. All in all, the work of the planned sewage project, which divides the Chittagong metropolis into 6 separate catchments, is gaining momentum.
Sources said, More than 7 million people live in Chittagong metropolis. A large number of people did not have any sewerage scheme planned in this city. Waste accumulates in septic tanks in people’s homes. Besides, every day about 288 million liters of waste water is discharged into the river in the city. In 2030, its volume will reach 515 million liters per day. Besides, about 539 cubic meters of faecal sludge is accumulating in the septic tank every day in the city, Experts said that it will be about 715 cubic meters per day by the year 2030.
Waste water from washrooms flows into the river through city drains. This water is also entering the water pipe line passing through the drain. Sources said that the water in the city is constantly being polluted which is polluting the environment of Chittagong as a whole, There is a fear of creating a crisis in the supply of fresh water in the metropolis in the future. The metropolis has zero quota for toilet waste management for years as no planned sewerage system has been developed. Which in turn is causing open defecation.
Sewage project was implemented in Dhaka in 1923 but WASA was established in Chittagong in 1963. Even in the last 61 years, no such project could be implemented, which is very necessary for the environment and public health. To make Chittagong a healthy city, there is no alternative to develop the sewage system. Realizing the matter, Chittagong WASA took the project of dividing the entire city into six zones and installing six sewage and two faecal sewage treatment plants. First catchment in six zones–The work of 1 started in 2022. In the first phase, about 20 lakh people were brought under the sewerage scheme. In this program, sewage lines are being added to 28 thousand houses in 21 wards of the city.
More than 200 kilometers of pipelines are being laid at a depth of 5 to 15 meters. Ancillary infrastructure including necessary manholes is being constructed. In one part, two state-of-the-art treatment plants are being constructed on 163 acres of land at Chowchala in Halishahar. In one of which, nine million liters of waste brought through the pipeline will be purified and dumped in the sea in an environmentally friendly manner. The other plant is Faecal Plus ( Waste collected from house to house in special vehicles) 300 tons of waste can be treated daily. Project Director Engineer Ariful Islam said that 60 percent of the project work has already been completed. He said, This very important project will go a long way in making Chittagong a world class city.
catchment–In addition to the work of 1 catchment yesterday–২ (Kalurghat and adjoining areas) and catchment–৪ (Baklia and adjoining areas) A project worth Tk 5,152,560,000 has been approved by Ecnec. The main facility of the project will be construction of treatment plant on 74 acres of land at Hamidchar in Kalurghat. It will hold 60,000 cubic meters daily and provide necessary purification. 11 km main sewerage line will be constructed under the project, Branch sewerage line will be 70 km and service line will be 70 km. 932 manholes and house connections and catch pits will be constructed under the project. In this project, 28 thousand houses of two areas will be connected. If the project is implemented, Jamal Khan, Chowkazar, Chandgaon, Residents of various areas including Shulakbahar and Sholshahar will benefit. JICA of Japan, Bangladesh government and Chittagong WASA will jointly finance the project. Out of the total cost of the project, JICA will contribute Tk. 4 thousand 144 crores, Bangladesh government will bear 969 crore taka and Chittagong Wasa will bear 39 crore taka, sources said.
Sources said that even if Eknek’s approval is obtained, it will not be possible to start work on the project now, For this project, 74 acres of land in Hamidchar area opposite Baklia Maritime University has to be occupied. For this, a separate project of Tk 2000 crore has already been submitted to the Planning Commission. The main project will start work only after approval of this project and acquisition of land.
Catchment on the other hand–৫ (Kattali and adjoining areas) A project worth Rs 2700 crore is also in the Planning Commission. This may also be raised in the next ECNEC meeting. Catchment after obtaining approval from ECNEC–5 will also start work. catchment–While the work on 1 is expected to be completed by next year, implementation of the other catchments may take up to 2030. An officer in charge of WASA told Daily Azadi yesterday, Planned sewerage will improve the image of the city manifold besides protecting the health and environment of the city dwellers.
Source: dainikazadi.net
