To share water supply connection’s experiences in 3 big slums of the city Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) organises a workshop yesterday at a city hotel in the city. Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Mohammad Sayeed Khokon attended the workshop as the Chief Guest while Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman of Centre for Urban Studies and Charlie Hrachya Sargsyan, Head of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) of UNICEF in Bangladesh attended as Special Guests. Engr. Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of Dhaka WASA chaired the ceremony. Uttam Kumar Roy, Commercial Manager of DWASA presented keynote speech at the workshop. Mayor Sayeed Khokon in his speech greeted Dhaka WASA for providing legal water supply connection to Bhashantek, Korail and Sattola slum. Her assured of providing all-out cooperation to Dhaka WASA if necessary in this regard. He also stressed the need for working altogether in coordinated way to make Dhaka city more livable. Engr. Taqsem A Khan said, Dhaka WASA is committed to provide legal water connection to all the slums of Dhaka city by December, 2015, which will help reduce system of DWASA, child deaths in slum areas ensuring women empowerment as well. He also said, under the `Turn Around Dhaka WASA Program’ Dhaka WASA is moving towards an environment-friendly, sustainable and pro-people water supply system for the betterment of the city dwellers. Since 2010 DWASA has been working to bring all the slums of the capital under legal water supply connection. DWASA with the support of development partners as well as local NGOs has already brought three big slums—Bhashantek, Korail and Mohakhali Sattola— under legal water supply connection. A total of 2263 water connections have been given so far. With these connecitons a total of 85,130 families living in those slums have been benefitted.It may be noted, Dhaka WASA has received Water Leaders Award-2013 at the Global Water Summit held in Seville, Spain on 2013 for its success in providing legal water to Low Income Community (LIC) in the capital city. The prize amount of $11, 000 had been spent for providing legal water to the LIC People of Sattola Slum, Mohakhali.Among others, World Bank Water and Sanitation Specialist M A Motaleb, Water Aid Bangladesh Country Representative Dr. Khairul Islam and Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) Executive Director Dr. Dibalok Singha were present as panel discussants. DWASA Deputy Managing (Finance) Director Syed Golam Ahammad also spoke on this occasion.
