$75m ADB loan for Khulna Wasa
The government yesterday signed a loan agreement of 75 million US dollar (approximately Tk 524 crore) with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to expand access to potable water in Khulna city.
Economics Relations Division (ERD) Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and ADB country director Thevakumar Kandiah signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides at NEC-II in the city.
The assistance will improve and extend water distribution network and water sources management in Khulna city and ensure professional and sustainable corporate management of Khulna Wasa.
The project will improve the access to the piped network from 23 percent in 2010 to 62 percent by 2018, benefiting about 710,000 persons in Khulna city.
The project will expand the access to water supply services by building a surface water treatment plant and extending the distribution network to cover the whole city.
“The project will contain water-borne diseases and improve the overall health condition in the city,” said ADB Country Director Thevakumar Kandiah. “It will also reduce the drudgery of women who spend a daily average of 90 minutes managing water for the whole family,”
He said after the project completed in 2017, the entire population of Khulna city will benefit from improved access to clean water round the clock.
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