Advisor to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives(LGRDC), Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, has vowed to free Dhaka WASA from corruption. Speaking at a meeting with Dhaka WASA officials on Wednesday at the WASA building in Kawran Bazar, he said, “WASA’s name has long been linked with corruption. Contractors cannot commit corruption without the involvement of officials. This must change. We aim to achieve this during our tenure.”
The meeting, chaired by Dhaka WASA Managing Director Md. Fazlur Rahman, was attended by Acting Secretary of the Local Government Division Md. Nazrul Islam as a special guest. Advisor Asif also addressed the city’s water supply challenges, especially with the dry season ahead. He remarked, “Meeting water demand during this time will be a significant challenge. Officials must prioritize public needs.” He urged employees to submit demands or grievances in writing and discouraged the practice of displaying photos of advisors and ministers in offices.
The Acting Secretary criticized the lack of progress on a project initiated in 2015, which has seen only 5% completion in nine years, despite officials drawing salaries. He stressed, “This cannot continue. Corruption must be eradicated from WASA.”
Md. Fazlur Rahman highlighted WASA’s operations, including its 401 sq. km coverage, 4,918 km water distribution network, 400,100 connections, and a daily water demand of 2.6-2.65 billion liters. Currently, five treatment plants and 1,061 pumping stations supply a total of 2.6 billion liters of water daily.
