Dhaka to receive 500 million liters of treated Meghna water daily by year-end
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced on Monday that the Gandharbpur water treatment plant in Narayanganj’s Rupganj will soon begin purifying 500 million liters of water from the Meghna River daily to supply the capital. During an inspection of the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply (DESWS) project, the minister confirmed that trial operations are slated for December, with full-scale distribution via Dhaka WASA expected to follow within a year.
The initiative represents a strategic shift in Dhaka’s water management, aiming to reduce the city’s long-standing reliance on dwindling groundwater reserves. Minister Alamgir noted that the rapid depletion of water levels has created a looming risk of a supply crisis, making the utilization of surface water from the Meghna River essential. The project, which has reached 97 percent completion at a cost of approximately 10.97 billion taka, is viewed as a vital long-term solution for the capital’s growing population.
Dhaka WASA Managing Director Md. Aminul Islam outlined the project’s multi-phase expansion, noting that the initial capacity of 500 million liters per day will eventually be doubled to 1 billion liters upon the completion of a second phase. This increased output is projected to provide consistent 24-hour water coverage to key urban areas, including Motijheel, Paltan, Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, and the wider Mirpur region.
While expressing satisfaction with the project’s current progress, the minister directed officials to expedite the remaining construction efforts. The endeavor has faced several hurdles since it was first approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in 2013. Initially estimated at 5.25 billion taka, the project's costs and timelines were revised multiple times over the past decade due to implementation complexities, with the scope expanding alongside the budget adjustments.
Minister Alamgir was accompanied during the site visit by several high-ranking officials, including project director Wahidul Islam, Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Md. Raihan Kabir, and local law enforcement authorities, all of whom reviewed the intake pipeline installations and primary treatment facilities along the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
