The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved a Tk721.4228 crore project to establish the Dhaka WASA Training and Research Academy in the capital’s Mirpur Senpara Parbata area, aiming to strengthen in-house capacity in water supply and sewerage management.
Of the total cost, Tk90 crore will come as government loan, Tk571.4228 crore as project loan from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), and Tk60 crore from Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority’s (WASA) own funds.
The Local Government Division will act as the sponsoring ministry, with Dhaka WASA as the implementing agency, while the project has been categorised under the housing and community facilities sector and scheduled for implementation from October 2025 to June 2031.
The academy is designed as an international-standard hub combining structured professional training and applied research to improve operational efficiency, technological capability and service quality in water and sewerage services.
Its scope includes construction of a training and research centre, dormitory, parking facilities and a pilot plant, alongside land acquisition, procurement of training and research equipment, architectural design, construction supervision consultancy and specialised technical consultancy services.
According to the project proposal, Dhaka WASA, which manages water supply and sewerage services in the city, is implementing major initiatives under its Water Master Plan and Sewerage Master Plan, including two water treatment plants and one sewage treatment plant currently under construction.
To reduce system loss and ensure uninterrupted potable water supply through a pressurised network, Dhaka city has been divided into 145 District Metered Areas (DMA), of which 89 have already been established, with the rest under implementation.
The proposal notes the increasing use of smart meters, central monitoring and large-scale deployment of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, describing these technologies and management practices as relatively new for the organisation.
It says Dhaka WASA officials and employees lack adequate expertise in modern treatment plant construction, DMA establishment and management, leak detection, smart metering and SCADA operation, resulting in heavy reliance on local and foreign consulting firms that is costly and unsustainable in the long run.
The document also points out that the existing training centre has limited infrastructure and human resources, restricting opportunities for advanced technical learning and professional skill development.
On the research side, the proposal highlights that current microbiology and chemical divisions are largely confined to water quality testing, with limited scope for research on improving standards, optimising treatment processes or developing new solutions.
It adds that the absence of a dedicated research framework hampers innovation and the adaptation of modern technologies to local conditions.
Against this backdrop, the project envisions the new academy as a platform to build in-house expertise, support cost-effective construction and operation of treatment plants, and strengthen capacity in DMA operations, leak detection, smart metering and SCADA systems.
The academy is also expected to serve as a regional centre for research, knowledge sharing and capacity building for water management institutions in Bangladesh and South Asia.
The Project Evaluation Committee, at its meeting on 10 March, 2025, recommended the project for approval by ECNEC.
