Scarcity of drinking water hits Dhaka Jatrabari residents

The residents of Dhaka’s Jatrabari area are suffering from an acute shortage of pure drinking water.

Locals said that the water provided by the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is contaminated and has bad odor which is forcing them to collect drinking water from alternative sources.

In July last year, a report submitted to the High Court found existence of harmful elements including bacteria and ammonia in water supplied by Wasa to its four distribution zones.

Although Wasa raised the water tariff on February 28, dealing a double blow to consumers but the quality of the water supply did not improve, locals alleged.

The price of per unit (1,000 litres) of water was fixed at Tk 14.46 from Tk 11.57, a rise by 24.97 percent, for residential users while Tk 40 from the current Tk 37.04, up by 9.94 percent, for commercial consumers.

The new rates were implemented from on April 1 this year.

A UNB photographer captured the suffering for pure drinking water of residents of Jatrabari area beside Postogola Bridge.UNB