Editorial
Water supply hiccups
Wasa needs to pull up its socks
APART from falling far short of the demand, water supply is often erratic, and over the past two weeks, residents of Dhaka are finding Wasa water to be smelly and dirty.
The Wasa authorities have put the blame on pollution of rivers, the sources of surface water which, they argue, make their task of supplying clean water extremely difficult. The point is easy to grasp, but it is unclear why the indiscriminate dumping of industrial and other wastes into the rivers around the cities is still going on unabated. Did Wasa take the issue up with the government to make the industries abide by anti-river pollution laws?
The Wasa authorities have tried to explain why the water supplied in the city is found to be unfit for use. But there are many other problems which are not so easy to explain. For example, over 75 per cent of Wasa customers in divisional headquarters have said that the Wasa authorities did not respond to their complaints. Obviously, sending accumulated bills for several months together, which put pressure on the consumers, is another example of bureaucratic malfunctioning of the utility body. Yet, the customers are regularly paying for Wasa water. So, lack of accountability and gross insensitivity to the needs of the customers are evident.
Wasa's supply system is plagued by other problems too which have never been addressed in right earnest. The old and worn-out supply lines are responsible for wastage and mixing of filthy substances with water. Moreover, there is pilferage and mismanagement which could never be stopped. True, the task is huge, but the Wasa authorities have to begin somewhere to set things right.
The issue of reducing the huge and ever increasing gap between demand and supply cannot be dealt with unless Wasa goes for enhancing its capacity. Here resource constraints and the depleting sources of water stand in the way of achieving the targets. But Wasa can, with all its constraints, still perform better by showing a greater degree of commitment to its tasks.
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