The High Court (HC) on Wednesday ordered Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to ensure supply of pure water.
“If they (WASA) can solve the problem, it is fine. We want water, pure water. If they can ensure this, then it is fine,” the High Court said.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the observations as Dhaka WASA submitted its explanation over a report, which traces the presence of bacteria in its water.
“The report revealed the presence of fecal coliform. We are implementing the recommendations made in that report. As per its recommendations, we had sent our water to icddr’b, and BUET for test. We have received the test report of water sample collected from Patla Khan Lane, but yet to receive the report of Mirpur water sample,” said WASA counsel Barrister AM Masum.
After that, the High Court adjourned the hearing till July 30.
Following an order of the High Court, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development took samples of water from 34 areas in 10 zones and tested those at the laboratories of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka University and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).
Of those 34 samples, contaminations were found in eight. The HC on November 6, 2018, formed a four-member committee with representatives from LGRD Ministry, Dhaka University, BUET and icddr,b. The court on May 21, asked this committee to test the water.
