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The Chittagong WASA is going to increase water tariff by 5.0 per cent for all types of consumers -- domestic, industrial and commercial -- with effect from February this year.
The Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) took the decision on tariff hike in its board meeting recently, sources said.
Currently, the water rate per unit is Tk 9.45. The rate will go up to Tk 9.92 per unit after the tariff hike comes into effect, they added.
According to the sources, the CWASA raised the water rate to minimise financial losses and pay back loans to the global funding agencies that have been providing financial support for implementation of different water supply projects.
The CWASA has the authority to raise the rate by 5.0 per cent at the maximum. It needs to take approval from the Ministry of Local Government if it wants to up the rate by over 5.0 per cent, said an official.
The global funding agencies, which are providing financial support for development projects, have also suggested raising the water rate to make the projects viable, he added.
He said their latest water treatment plant called 'Madunaghat Water Supply Project', involving Tk 18.90 billion, has been implemented recently with joint funding by the World Bank, the Bangladesh government and the CWASA.
The plant at Madunaghat under Hathazari is now supplying 90 million litres of water in many areas of the city.
The areas include Mohra, Chandgaon, Bakolia, Kalurghat, Rahattarpole, DC Road, Khaja Road, Khatungonj and Patenga.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to formally inaugurate the water treatment plant by the end of January.
The CWASA has proposed naming the new treatment plant after Sheikh Russel, youngest son of Bangabandhu, he said, but the naming of the plant is yet to be approved by the Ministry of Local Government.
Before the implementation of the Madunaghat Water Supply Project, the CWASA's total production capacity was 210 million litres.
It is currently implementing the Karnaphuli Water Supply Project phase-2 with the capacity of 140 million litres of water and the Bhandaljuri Water Supply Project with the capacity of 60 million litres.
If all these projects are implemented by 2022, the total production capacity of the CWASA will stand at 430 million litres, enough to meet the city's demand for water, the official said.
Besides, the CWASA has undertaken a project of modern sewerage system, for which the water supply authority has been working for the last few years. To this end, the CWASA has prepared a Sewerage Master Plan for the city's sewerage system.
The official said the Sewerage Master Plan was approved at the ECNEC meeting in November last year.