Govt plans Tk25,000cr project to ensure safe drinking water nationwide: Moyeen Khan

The government is planning an integrated project worth nearly Tk25,000 crore to ensure safe drinking water for around 18 crore people across the country, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan said.

Speaking after a meeting with a Unicef delegation at the Secretariat today (8 October), the minister said ensuring safe drinking water has become a major challenge due to declining river flows, upstream water withdrawal and increasing salinity.

He said drying rivers and reduced flows are contributing to desertification in northern districts, while saline water from the Bay of Bengal is moving further upstream and worsening drinking water shortages in the south.

“Water is essential for life, but contaminated water can also be fatal,” Moyeen Khan said, stressing the government’s responsibility to ensure safe drinking water for all.

The government is working with UN agencies and other development partners on the proposed initiative and discussing financing options, he said.

Asked about the estimated cost, the minister said proposals from Unicef and other organisations were being considered. Combined financing could bring the total project cost to around $2.1 billion, equivalent to approximately Tk25,000 crore.

Representatives from the World Bank and WaterAid, along with Unicef, attended the meeting, he said, adding that efforts were underway to prepare an integrated plan involving the organisations.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Moyeen Khan said Bangladesh had long received support from bilateral and multilateral development partners but had not always been able to utilise it effectively.

He added that foreign financing was also declining as developed countries faced their own economic challenges and reduced assistance to developing nations.