[Fair use for education and research purpose only]

Title: Water Crisis Deepens

WASA Suffers 41 pc System Loss

Staff Reporter April 10, 2000

The state-run Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) suffers about 41 percent system loss thus creating scarcity of drinking water for the authorised consumers in the capital city according to the competent sources.

Sources also revealed that the WASA continued to earn atleast taka 25 crore less annually due to unprecedented system loss.

Competent sources said that the WASA continued to suffer system loss due to various reasons including technical faults and consumption of water by the unauthorised people through illegal connections.

Meanwhile, the WASA is facing serious financial constraints due to its failure to realise arrear bills, involving huge amount, from the defaulters.

Records show that defaulting amount would be not less then Taka 86 crore so far.

In the private sector, residential hotels, owners of the high rise buildings and different commercial enterprises are the big defaulters and the amount in default stood at Taka 62 crore till now, sources said.

The amount in default in the public sector stands at Taka 24 crore.

However, the WASA has 1 lakh 80 thousand authorised water lines in the capital city for supply of drinking water to the consumers. Presently the WASA could supply about one hundred crore litres of water daily against demand of 150 crore per day.

The shortfall would have been reduced to a considerable extent if system loss is checked, many said.

http://www.nation-online.com/200004/10/n0041001.htm#BODY8

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 09, 2000

Answers

[Fair use for education and research purpose only]

Title: Loadshedding hits Secretariat

Staff Reporter April 10, 2000

The loadshedding situation in the capital was miserable on Sunday with the beginning of the working day of the week.

Many lifts remained inoperative in the Secretariat on Sunday due to continuous low voltage in electricity supply. It caused sufferings to the officials in their movements inside the Secretariat.

Most of the areas including the commercial hubs were without power for several hours on the day.

A member of the executive body of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that they had been without electricity for several hours when a minister was inaugurating a seminar in the morning.

Dhaka Electricity Supply Authority has failed to improve the power situation in the capital and its adjoining areas.

According to Power Development Board, it generated over 2500 megawatt on Sunday against the peak hour demand of 2700 megawatt all over the country. The Board, however, claimed that lodshedding in the country was 116 MW while it was 62 MW in the DESA areas.

Another sources said that the loadshedding in the capital and its adjoining areas was 200 MW.

The worst affected areas of the city including Rampura Khilgaon, Badda, Malibagh, Basabo, Goran, Shahjahanpur, Shantinagar, Kalabagan, Nilkhet, New Market, Elephant Road, Moghbazar and Sutrapur. Even many residents could not operate their water pumps for want of power supply causing acute shortage of water.

http://www.nation-online.com/200004/10/n0041001.htm#BODY8

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 09, 2000.