Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) is in the implementation of a project constructing a 60 million litter a day water treatment plant including water intake facility, two water reservoirs and water transmission and. distribution main pipelines project named Bhandaljhuri Water Supply Project (BJWSP) with Korean EDCF Loan provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the development funds of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB). In order to further improve the water supply service in Chattogram, CWASA plans to undertake Bhandaljhuri Water Supply Project (BJWSP).
CWASA has said that the project will go into trial production within 2-3 months under Chattogram WASA's Bhandaljuri Water Supply Project. WASA is laying a 290-meter pipeline at a depth of 24 meters from the bottom of the soil of Patiya Shikalbaha canal. The water supply pipe is being carried through a 1.5 meter tunnel deep into the canal. This huge campaign started in October 2022. According to Chattogram WASA, the work of laying the pipeline at this crossing will be completed next November.
It is known that South Korean contractor company Taeyoung Engineering and Construction Company Limited is working on this project. The project is being implemented at a cost of 1,995 crore taka and is being jointly financed by Exim Bank of South Korea and the Government of Bangladesh. At present, 80 percent of the project has been completed. After the completion of the project, WASA water production will increase by another 6 crore liters per day. Which will be supplied on the south bank of Karnaphuli river. Under the project, a water treatment plant with a capacity of 6 crore liters, about 133 km of transmission, conveyance and distribution pipelines and two water reservoirs at Korean EPZ and Patiya are being constructed. Bhandaljuri water supply project across WASA river is being implemented keeping in mind the future water demand. After the Sheikh Hasina Water Supply Project 1 and 2 and the Sheikh Russell Water Supply Project, WASA's new project is going into production.
Engineer AKM Fazlullah, Managing Director of Chattogram WASA, said that the Bhandaljuri water supply project will go into production next December. Industrial owners and customers across the Karnaphuli River will benefit immensely. The construction of the tunnel under the Karnaphuli River is in its final stages. After its opening, there will be massive industrialization and settlement across the river. So the demand for water there will also increase.
The Bhandaljuri water supply project is being implemented to supply water to various residential areas, government and private industries, Korean EPZ and other state important facilities of Boalkhali, Patiya and some parts Anwara. A water treatment plant has been constructed for this project on the banks of the Karnaphuli river at Jaishthapura village in Sreepur-Kharandwip union of Boalkhali.
From there, water will be supplied to industries and residential areas located on the left bank of Karnaphuli river. According to the project officials, the construction work of Bhandaljuri water supply project has been completed 80 percent. Under the project, 133 km of pipelines have been laid in Boalkhali, Patiya and Anwara. Also, other works of the project are progressing rapidly. Wasa had to face many challenges to implement this project which started in 2019. At present the work of connection at customer level under Part-I of the project is in progress. Then customer connection under Part-II will start. The water demand in these areas is 3 crore liters. When the project is fully completed, 6 crore liters of water can be supplied.