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Water Crisis in Sylhet City

Solution not in sight as project shows no progress in 4 years

Iqbal Siddiquee, syihet
An end to water crisis in Syihet City Corporation (SCC) areas seems faraway as little progress has been made four years after taking of a project to solve the crisis.
The demand of water has risen manifold with formation of the city corporation that has got a larger area and population but the authorities can meet highest 30 to 40 per cent of the requirement - 5 crore litre water daily, SCC Secretary Harun Ur Rashid Molla said.
Four overhead tanks have remained virtually inoperative due to technical problems for years and it has worsened the situation. SC(' Executive Engineer (Water) Syed Hossain Zama! said.
Work for sinking four deep tube wells under a new project has started on an emergency basis, but it will take six months to finish the task, he said.
Authorities appointed the project director for a project styled “Water supply, sanitation and drainage project for Syihet and Barisal city corporation areas” last year and he has been doing the job as an additional charge with office at Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) in the capital.
The Tk 40 crore project includes work for land acquire and develop ment, test tube well installation, replacement of production tube
well, pump house construction, renovation of existing supply lines etc. Of the amount, Ik 24 crore is supposed to be spent for Syihet.
But the price of construction materials has increased and with passage of time, the cost will get further escalation, an official said.
I hc project work is being done from Dhaka since the very beginning anil progress is almost nothing, said an SCC official, adding that DPHE has been given the charge to implement the project whereas there arc city corporation authorities to do the job.
Besides, authorities are yet to appoint any project consultant.
The project was taken up in 2005 but no fund was sanctioned in the following fiscal year (FY) 2006 07. OnlyTk one crore had been given in 2007-2008 FY.
Of the amount, only Tk 20 lakh was given for Syihet part of the project.
Now city dwellers are getting water through 18old pumps.
I he age-old water process plant at Topkhana area is being used for processing water collected from Surma River but it can meet the need for a small area.
There are also long standing problems like pilferage, dilapidated condition of the supply lines, and illegal drawing extraction of water and corruption of tile concerned staff.