The government has appointed Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Water Resources Engineering Department Head Sabbir Mostafa Khan as chairman of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) for a three-year term, bringing a water resources specialist to lead the capital’s utility.
The appointment took immediate effect under the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Amendment) Act, 2025, according to a gazette notification issued on Sunday by the Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.
Khan has nearly three decades of experience in water resources engineering, research, consultancy and infrastructure planning. His work spans urban water supply, hydrology, flood control, river engineering, climate adaptation and sustainable water management.
A BUET graduate, he later earned a master’s degree and a PhD in civil engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has published research in international journals on hydrology, flood modelling, drainage systems and climate change.
Beyond academia, Khan has contributed to more than 50 infrastructure and water-related projects, including the Padma Bridge approach road, the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive, Payra Port, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) drainage planning and projects for the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy.
He also serves as honorary general secretary of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).
Khan takes charge as Dhaka WASA faces mounting challenges from groundwater depletion, ageing infrastructure, sewerage expansion, urban flooding and climate resilience amid rapid urbanisation and rising water demand.
