80 pc water misused in city: Experts

About 80 per cent of the water supplied in the city is being misused simply for lack of awareness of the users, experts told a discussion here yesterday.
They said the city dwellers consciously or unconsciously misuse 80 per cent of the water which is nearly pure or could be used with simple purification.
The discussion titled 'Water Problem of Dhaka city: Citizens' Views' was jointly organised by two NGOs-Actionaid and Nagorik Sanghati-at the National Press Club.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on LGRD Ministry Advocate Rahmat Ali spoke at the programme as chief guest with Nagorik Sanghati President Prof Dr ASM Atiqur Rahman in the chair.
Advocate Sanzida Khanam, MP, Shaheda Tareq, MP, former WASA Chief Engineer Qazi Muhammad Shish, Prof Shahidul Islam and water expert Prof Moniruzzaman Mia, among others, spoke at the discussion.
They said a comprehensive water management policy is needed to resolve the city's water crisis, especially drinking water, and emphasized public-private partnership and building rainwater reserve bodies.
Rahmat Ali, however, said it is unlikely that the water supply problem would be solved any time soon but the government has taken effective plans to tackle the crisis.
He said the government would solve the water problem in the city in phases by 2013 and water would be brought from the Bay, if necessary, by setting up desalinating plants.
Engineer Sardar Amin said lack of coordination among different ministries and officials concerned has made the water supply even more fragile. "The government should take an inclusive step so that industrial wastes cannot pollute the rivers nearby Dhaka city."
The government, he said, should form an inter-ministerial committee involving Water Resources, Foreign, Food, Agriculture, River and Industries and other ministries concerned and WASA, BSTI and other establishments concerned to deal with the problem.