Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has spent more than double on sewerage projects compared to water supply initiatives, although the port city struggles with a persistent water crisis.
WASA data show that Chattogram’s current water demand stands at around 800 million litres per day, while production remains between 550 and 560 million litres. This means only 65–70 percent of demand is met, leaving many neighbourhoods facing chronic shortages.
Despite this shortfall, WASA’s spending priorities remain heavily skewed. Total expenditure on water sector projects, including loan interest, amounts to about Tk7,300 crore. In contrast, sewerage sector projects—excluding loan interest—have cost around Tk16,500 crore, making sewerage spending roughly 126 percent higher than investment in water supply.
Under the Chattogram WASA Sewerage Master Plan, the city has been divided into six catchment areas. Projects covering four catchments are currently under implementation at a cost of Tk15,332 crore. Two additional projects for the remaining catchments, estimated at Tk13,258 crore, are awaiting approval. Sewerage services under the first phase are expected to begin in 2028.
WASA estimates that Chattogram generates nearly 400 million litres of sewage daily, most of which currently flows untreated into the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers through drains and canals, contributing to environmental degradation.
At present, Chattogram WASA has more than 96,000 connections—93 percent residential and seven percent commercial—serving around 3.2 million people. However, at least 10 percent of connected customers do not receive water regularly.
SM Nazer Hossain, vice president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said large parts of the city—particularly Patenga and Halishahar—remain outside effective WASA water coverage.
“Ensuring 100 percent water coverage must come first. The authority needs to focus more on water supply projects,” he told Times of Bangladesh.
The Karnaphuli and Halda rivers remain the main sources of water for Chattogram WASA.
Several water supply projects are currently operational, including the Mohra, Karnaphuli-1 and Karnaphuli-2, and Madunaghat water treatment plants.
The Bhandaljuri Water Treatment Plant, commissioned in 2025 at a cost of around Tk 2,000 crore, was built to serve four upazilas in South Chattogram. However, water from the plant is not supplied to Chattogram city, and the project has yet to achieve its intended objectives.
Former WASA Board chairman and former vice-chancellor of Chttogram University of Engineering and Technology, Prof Mohammad Jahangir Alam warned that the city’s growing water scarcity could lead to a crisis if not addressed urgently.
“With increasing industrial pollution, it is essential to invest in collecting and treating water from alternative sources such as the Karnaphuli and Halda rivers,” he said, adding that sewerage projects alone would bring limited benefits if drains and canals remain clogged with solid waste.
WASA projections indicate that water demand will rise sharply in the coming decades—reaching up to 800 million litres per day by 2032, 1.22 billion litres by 2042, and 1.37 billion litres by 2052, requiring large-scale modern treatment facilities.
WASA Managing Director Monuara Begum said the authority is working on both water supply and sewerage development. She added that a feasibility study to bring water from the Meghna River via Chandpur was shelved as the cost was estimated to be four times higher than existing options.
