Completed Bangladesh water plant remains idle after three years

A water treatment plant in Bangladesh’s Munshiganj municipality remains unused three years after construction ended, as government departments dispute whether the facility is ready for handover.

The plant cost about Tk 11 crore (approximately $892,000) and was designed to treat 350,000 liters of water per hour from the Dhaleshwari River, The Daily Star reported.

Construction began in 2018 and was initially scheduled to finish in May 2019. Land complications, questions about pipe quality, and other problems delayed completion until July 2023.

Municipal chief executive officer Md Touhidul Islam said defects and algae growth still required repairs. He also said only one of two requested production wells had been installed because river water becomes unusable during the dry season.

Local public health engineering chief Md Humayun Kabir said identified problems were addressed and the plant was ready for transfer.