A rapid increase in the pace of
rural-urban migration has been very explicit in the recent decades in
Bangladesh. The very process of urbanization, coupled with pressure from
fast-rising urban population, have been exposing the city authorities
of
business to generate income and employment opportunities, provide a good
livelihood for the city dwellers and generate adequate resources to
finance infrastructure and social needs inclusive of being responsive to
address urban poverty aspects. The Dhaka Metropoli A rapid increase in
the pace of rural-urban migration has been very explicit in the recent
decades in Bangladesh. The very process of urbanization, coupled with
pressure from fast-rising urban population, have been exposing the city
authorities of A rapid increase in the pace of rural-urban migration
has been very explicit in the recent decades in Bangladesh. The very
process of urbanization, coupled with pressure from fast-rising urban
population, have been exposing the city authorities of fast-rising urban
population, have been exposing the city authorities of A rapid
increase in the pace of rural-urban migration has been very explicit in
the recent decades in Bangladesh. The very process of urbanization,
coupled with pressure from fast-rising urban population, have been
exposing the city authorities of.
At the Beginning of the 16th century, the Mughals, in fact the
first, established Dhaka city. The expansion of Dhaka city was mainly in
and around the river Burigunga. The canals within the mega city Dhaka
& the rivers surround the city are acting as natural drainage
system, water reservoir and the river route. These canals are Begunbari
khal, Segunbagicha khal, kallayanpur khal, Dholai khal etc. The
surrounding rivers are the Buriganga, the Shitolakhya, the Balu, the
Turag. & the Dhaleshari.
Since 1953 development of the Dhaka city was guided
by The Town Improvement Act, 1953. In 1959, a master plan was developed
showing an area 320 Sq. km having 5.75 lakh people, is called first
master plan of the mega city Dhaka. After the independence of Bangladesh
in 1971, migration of people to Dhaka city from urban & rural areas
were very high. At the same time the demand for housing, water,
electricity & gas increased tremendously. In this situation the town
improvement plans of 1959 failed to meet the demand and felt for
another master plan. On this background another master plan was
developed in 1996, is called 2nd master plan of Dhaka city. In this
plan, the estimated area was 590 Sq. km and population was estimated 100
lakh. But the current population of Dhaka City is 125 lakh, which is 25
lakh more than the estimated plan.
Actually, the potable drinking water supply was
started in Dhaka City in the year 1874, and that year Nabab Khaja Abdul
Ghani established a water treatment plan in Chadnighat near the bank of
the river Buriganga. After that period the piped water was supplied to
city people in the limited way and also sanitation system. After
independence government established DPHE (Department of Public Health
Engineering) for rehabilitation of damaged water, drainage &
sanitation system for rural and urban people.
Dhaka WASA (Water Supply & Sewerage System) was
established in the year 1963 as an independent organization, under the
East Pakistan ordinance XIX. In 1989, the drainage system of Dhaka city
also handed over to DWASA from DPHE. Again in the year 1990, Water,
Drainage & Sanitation service of Narayangonj city handed over to
DWASA. Based on the tremendous geographical expansion and population
growth over the last two decades, DWASA’s activities has been
reorganized by Dhaka WASA Act, 1996 and according to this act, DWASA it
is operating as a service oriented commercial organization. Now, the
jurisdiction of Dhaka WASA is more than 360 Sq. km and the population is
about 125 million.
The major responsibilities and functions of DWASA are:-
construction, operation, improvement and maintenance
of the necessary infrastructures for collecting, treating, preserving
and supplying potable water to the public, industries and commercial
concerns
construction, operation, improvement and maintenance of
the necessary infrastructures for collecting, treating and disposing
domestic sewerage and industrial wastes, and
construction, operation, improvement and maintenance of the necessary infrastructures for drainage facilities of the City.
At present the service area of DWASA extended
to Mirpur and Uttara in the North and to Narayanganj in the South. For
better operation, maintenance and customer care, the total service area
of DWASA is divided into 11 geographic zones, which includes 10 in Dhaka
City and 1 in Narayanganj. There is an office for each zone and this
office carries out the responsibilities of engineering operation as well
as revenue activities. So that respected consumers can obtain all
possible services and counseling from one place.