Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate the much-awaited water treatment plant in Chittagong Sunday which will increase water supply to the port city by 30%.
Named after the premier, the “Sheikh Hasina Water Treatment Plant” has the capacity to treat 143 million litres of water daily. The authorities currently meet only 42% of the total demand.
The daily water demand in the city is about 500 million litres.
Construction of the plant on the Karnaphuli riverbank in Pomra area of Rangunia was completed in October last year and test operations began on November 1.
The premier will formally inaugurate the plant during a programme at Patenga Boat Club Sunday afternoon.
Established on a 14-hectare land at a cost of Tk344 crore, the plant is part of the “Karnaphuli Water Supply Project” – a three-package-scheme undertaken in 2006 to ease water crisis and improve the distribution system in Chittagong.
It was previously named as Karnaphuli Water Treatment Plant.
Implementation of the package scheme with an outlay of Tk1,848 crore has been delayed due to complexities regarding land acquisition, officials say. The two other packages include replacement of the age-old pipelines.
“We can only supply 210 million litres of water every day from different sources. With the new plant in full operation, we will be able to meet nearly 70% of the demand,” Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWasa) Managing Director AKM Fazlullah told the Dhaka Tribune.
At present, CWasa has a total of 61,717 domestic connections, and 7,387 commercial and industrial connections.
Fazlullah added that they had already started replacing the pipelines with High-Density Polyethylene and ductile iron pipes.
“The new pipes will be able to withstand huge pressure of the increased water supply for 80-100 years,” he said.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
