Surface water plant project: Implementation delay irks Yunus

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay in implementing the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant (Phase-3) and the Meghna River Protection Master Plan.

At a meeting held yesterday at the state guesthouse Jamuna, he said, “It is alarming that such a crucial project has been stuck for almost 10 years. Excessive extraction of groundwater is endangering the environment, yet work on an available solution has not commenced,” he said.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Local Government Division, Dhaka WASA, the Planning Commission’s Physical Infrastructure Division, the Economic Relations Division (ERD), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Department of Environment. SDG Chief Coordinator Lamia Morshed and Chief Secretary Siraj Uddin Mia were also present.

Yunus instructed the relevant ministries and divisions to identify obstacles delaying the projects and explore cost-cutting measures.

Officials revealed that 70 percent of Dhaka’s water supply comes from underground sources, causing groundwater levels to drop by 2–3 metres annually — posing a severe sustainability risk. The Meghna River Protection Master Plan aims to address this by providing an eco-friendly water supply system through the Sayedabad treatment plant.

Germany, France, Denmark, and the European Union have pledged support for the project and may increase funding if necessary. However, despite preparations beginning a decade ago, implementation has yet to start.

With the Buriganga and Shitalakkhya rivers heavily polluted and unusable, the government is prioritising the protection of the Meghna river as a key water source.

“There is great concern over the Meghna river. We must act swiftly to save it. Ensuring Bangladesh’s rivers are pollution-free should be a top government priority, or we risk making the region uninhabitable,” Yunus said.

He directed the authorities to complete all administrative procedures and begin project implementation within the current fiscal year.

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