Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Technical Cooperation agreement with the Government of Bangladesh on ‘The Project for Improvement of Management Capacity of Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority’ on January 15.
The project aims to enhance Chattogram WASA's capacity to improve its service delivery, strategic project planning, and financial management. JICA has a longstanding commitment to collaborating with Bangladesh in the Water Supply and Sanitation sector, especially in Chattogram.
The agreement was signed by Ms. MIURA Mari, Senior Representative, JICA Bangladesh Office; AKM Shahabuddin, Additional Secretary, Economic Relations Division; A H M Kamruzzaman, Joint Secretary, Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives; and AKM Fazlullah, Managing Director, Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority.
Chattogram city, the second largest city in Bangladesh, with a population of around 7 million, has historically relied heavily on groundwater for drinking water. JICA's support to Chattogram city began in 2003 with an engineering study in response to the severe drinking water crisis in the city.
The initiative identified the need to develop surface water sources and enhance the institutional capacity of Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) to address its growing population.
Over the years, JICA has supported CWASA in mitigating the water crisis, focusing on water supply capacity development and reducing non-revenue water. JICA’s supported water treatment plants supply 286 million liters daily, meeting about 60 percent of Chattogram city's demand. JICA has also conducted surveys in its sewerage sector.
CWASA's services for safe water supply have improved tremendously. However, further work is needed to provide more clean water and serve its growing population. The new Technical Cooperation is expected to maximize the benefit of CWASA's services and transform CWASA into a sustainable water sanitation service provider of international standards.
