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Ramadan starts in port city amid water crisis

Repeated complaints over several weeks failed to move Wasa, allege residents

Pranabesh Chakraborty, ctg
An acute water crisis has been prevailing in Chittagong city for several weeks due to a fall in production by the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Sufferings of the city dwellers have persisted with the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
Some locals alleged Chittagong Wasa is sending them bills but it is not supplying water.
Despite repeated complaints from the residents about the matter, Wasa is not paying heed to them, they further alleged.
The situation is worse in Sholakbahar Residential Area, Alkaran, Halishahar, Hemsen Lane, Pathantuli, Dhaniyalapara, Motijharna, Panchlaish, Nasirabad, Battery Goli, Patenga and Chawk Bazar.
"We are suffering a lot in the month of Ramadan. Now I am buying a jar of water at Tk 60 to Tk 100 every day," Md Zulfiquar of Sholakbahar told The Daily Star.
For washing clothes, their domestic help has to go to their relative's house, he added.
Tareque Soleman Selim, a ward council-
lor living in Alkaran, said he did not get even a drop of water in the last two months but he received bills from Wasa.
Madina Begum, a garment worker of Battery Goli, said she did not get water from a pump of Wasa in the area although she had to wait in a long queue for a long time on Friday night.
Some Wasa officials said the production had fallen due to fast depletion of groundwater.
Wasa now produces 21 crore litres of water per day against the demand of 50 crore litres, they said.
Currently, a total of 9 crore litres of water from the river Halda is being supplied to the city dwellers via Mohara water treatment plant while the remaining 12 crore is being extracted from underground through pumps, the Wasa sources said.
AKM Fazlullah, managing director of Wasa, said the water crisis of the city would be reduced by the next year after completion of the construction of a water treatment plant with a capacity of producing 14 crore litres per day at Pomra in Rangunia upazila under Karnaphuli Water Supply Project.