City Desk :
Dhaka WASA has started a Urban Dredging Programme to clean the canals and box culverts of Dhaka city. The ‘Urban Dredging Demonstration Project (UDDP)’ under the Water Operators Partnership (WOP) between Dhaka WASA and Vitens Evides International (VEl), Netherlands is cleaning the Agargaon Canal by using two types of floating bulldozers.
A demonstration of the dredging programme was held on Wednesday at the canal premises at Agargaon. Engr. Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of Dhaka WASA as the chief guest inaugurated the demonstration program. Mr. Taco de Vries, Resident Project Manager of UDDP, Project Director Md. Zaki Mostafa Chowdhury and other High Officials of Dhaka WASA and VEl were present. During a period of 6 weeks the project is demonstrating the functions of the Dutch equipment and is training the Dhaka WASA staff in operating the machines.
Based on the water logging experience in the Netherlands Dhaka WASA and VEl started the dredging demonstration project to help Dhaka WASA to keep the drainage systems functioning. The main goal of the project is to improve the situation in Dhaka by demonstrating dredging expertise and equipment based on the latest modern dredging technology from The Netherlands and train Dhaka WASA staff following an intensive training program.
The UDDP project is strongly focused on improving the operations of Dhaka WASA by introducing cost and time effective dredging methods by which DWASA will be able to continue cleaning other culverts and canals.
Since the human factor is an important element in polluting storm water drains, UDDP and the Water Operators Partnership are also improving the water, sanitation and solid waste situation in the Agargaon area.
Earlier Dhaka WASA launched the project in June, 2014 at Kalyanpur Khal near Monsurabad area of Adabar. The equipment including floating bulldozer, excavator and micro-bulldozer are being used in the cleaning work which was earlier done manually. Dhaka WASA will continue the. program for the next 10 years to free the city from water congestion.
