MORE than three thousand lower-tier employees of the Wasa are having a ball at work, drawing twice or even thrice the amount of their basic salaries as overtime while the residents of Dhaka put up with acute water-logging, open manholes and sewerage lines in the middle of busy streets and irregularities in billing. During the 2015-16 financial year they drewTk 56 crore in overtime charges against their basic salaries of Tk 27 crore. And this they did using the power of collective bargaining, ignoring an objection from the Ministry of Finance. What role did the management play?

Overtime pay is a worker's right. But an employee has to work extra hours after work to be eligible for it. In this case, many pump operators billed Wasa double or triple their basic salaries without actually putting in the hours. Some officers also contributed to such a fat chit by making their drivers work long hours after work. The problem, of course, is that it is the taxpayers who will have to pay at the end of the day. The Wasa points to a severe shortage in manpower for the mess. If that's the case why isn't it employing more people?

Many residents of Dhaka already suffer from insufficient supply of water. The city is overpopulated; ground water-level is falling rapidly. Instead of spending crores on undue overtime bills, Wasa should deploy its resources on protecting the city's drainage system, canals and retention ponds and improving the water quality. By all means, the organisation needs better regulation.