A Tk8.99 crore water treatment plant built to provide safe drinking water to Magura town has remained out of operation for more than a year, leaving residents dependent on untreated supplies often contaminated with foul-smelling and muddy water.
Many residents of the municipality’s nine wards have complained that water supply is irregular, while the first one to one-and-a-half hours of morning supply often carries a bad smell and dirt. They also alleged that excessive iron content frequently blocks household pipelines.
Municipal authorities attributed the crisis to the non-functional treatment plant, power disruptions and ageing supply lines.
Kazi Laboni Zaman, a resident of College Para, said she had been using municipal water for household purposes other than drinking for nearly 18 years.
“Every morning, the first one to one-and-a-half hours of water from the line smells bad. After discarding that water, relatively clean water becomes available,” she said.
She added that she was considering installing a deep tube well and disconnecting the municipal connection over fears of waterborne diseases.
Interviews with at least 10 residents across the municipality found widespread complaints over water quality. Khokon Mia of Doar Para said excessive iron had blocked his household pipeline.
“The connection has become a problem. I cannot disconnect it, so I am forced to pay the bill. The amount of iron is so high that the entire water line of my house was blocked. Sometimes very muddy and black water comes,” he said.
Mahabubur Rahman Titas of Stadium Para said he no longer used municipal water but continued paying bills.
According to the municipality’s water supply department, Magura has around 4,200 water connections with nearly 100 kilometres of supply lines. Water is supplied from 6am to 9:30am and from noon to 5:30pm. The minimum monthly bill per connection is Tk300, generating Tk13–14 lakh in average monthly revenue.
A water bill collection employee, seeking anonymity, said complaints over inadequate and unsafe water had increased significantly.
“The number of customers wanting to disconnect their connections is unprecedented,” he said.
Abu Md Al Aram, assistant engineer of the municipality’s water section, said most supply lines in the town area were at least 30 years old and buried seven to eight feet underground, making cleaning difficult.
He said broken pipes caused during drain cleaning or other activities could allow dirty water from drains to enter the supply system when pumps stop due to power cuts or technical issues. Once pumping resumes, the contaminated water reaches households.
The Shimulia water treatment plant was launched in July 2019 under the Department of Public Health Engineering’s water supply project for 37 district towns. The plant was built at a cost of Tk8.99 crore and later handed over to Magura municipality.
With four pumps, the plant had the capacity to treat 350 cubic metres of water per hour, removing iron, arsenic and other harmful elements before supplying treated water, officials said.
However, the plant became inoperative in January 2025 due to a lack of maintenance and repairs. Since then, the municipality has been supplying water through alternative lines without treatment.
A visit to the plant on Monday found thick layers of dirt accumulated in treatment areas, while grass and weeds had grown around the facility. Several pieces of equipment, including the generator, were also found damaged after remaining unused for a long period.
Engineers said the plant became unusable because filter materials were not replaced on schedule and regular maintenance was neglected. They estimated that Tk40–50 lakh would be required to replace filter materials and restart operations.
Municipality Executive Engineer Ahsan Bari said a shortage of required materials and skilled manpower prevented proper maintenance of the plant.
“A proposal has been submitted under the Seven Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project for renovation of the treatment plant, construction of a new plant and installation of new pipelines. Once the project starts, the existing water crisis will be resolved,” he said.
The failure of a Tk8.99 crore treatment facility within a few years and continued supply of untreated water through ageing pipelines have raised concerns among residents over the municipality’s water management system. Consumers demanded urgent steps to ensure safe water supply after paying regular bills.
