Securing Sustainably Managing Tender

AFD is providing support to Dhakas water authority in its efforts to increase the production capacity of drinking water by developing the use of surface water and making existing infrastructure sustainable. It is also providing support to the Government for a more sustainable management of water resources.CONTEXTDWASA the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority has two drinking water treatment plants in Saidabad which are currently supplied by the Shitalakshya River. Due to the latters increasing pollution the raw water from it may soon become unsuitable for drinking water treatment thereby calling for an alternative supply for these plants.To respond to the high demand DWASA also needs to increase its production and expand its service area by including more informal settlements. DWASA is committed to developing the use of surface water which is more respectful of the environment than underground water abstraction at a time when aquifers are shrinking a matter of considerable concern.DESCRIPTIONThe Saidabad-3 project aims at doubling the current sites production capacity by commissioning a new unit supplying 450000 m3 per day as well as installing a water intake and a pumping station on the Meghna River 30 km from Dhaka which will supply raw water to the three Saidabad units. A treated water pipeline will also be built and the primary distribution network strengthened including in Dhakas poor neighbourhoods.As the Meghna River is one of the last options for supplying Dhaka with surface water due to the pollution of the rivers around the capital the project will go hand-in-hand with an environmental management plan to preserve the rivers water quality.This highly ambitious project is one of the largest water treatment infrastructures in the world funded by European cooperation. AFD is the lead financial partner in partnership with KfW and EIB.IMPACTSImproving and securing the quality of the drinking water supply for nearly 2.5 million inhabitantsConnecting nearly 2 million inhabitants to the drinking water distribution network thanks to increased productionPositive impact on the environment reduction of more than half of unsustainable underground abstractions