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Water supplied by the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority through its piped network will be costlier and go beyond the reach of the poor if the donor assisted development plan of the utility service agency is implemented, experts and some Dhaka WASA officials apprehend.
   The main thrust of the Dhaka WASA’s reformation master plan involving $1000 million is ‘full cost recovery’ from the consumers without providing any subsidy, they said.
   The Dhaka WASA presently supplies an estimated 150 crore litres of water a day against the demand of more than 200 crore litres for domestic as well as industrial consumption. The domestic consumers have to pay Tk 5.25 per thousand litres whereas the production cost stands at around Tk 8. The charge for commercial use is Tk 16 per unit of thousand litres.
   The Asian Development Bank and the WB are working together on the feasibility study of the proposed development plan, which was scheduled to be initiated this year and completed in 2025. The ADB is looking after the water supply part while the World Bank will assist the drainage and sewerage.
   The Japan International Cooperation Agency, Swedish International Development Agency and Danish International Development Assistance are also part of the donors in implementing the ‘much-needed’ development of the WASA network.
   The ADB plan includes installation of four water treatment plants and reinstalling the entire water network of 2,200 kilometres of pipelines as well as implementation of 100 per cent metering in the households, an ADB consultant said.
   The donor agencies are insisting the government to curb corruption and to make the utility service agency viable by involving private companies in different sections of the public service company.
   The World Bank in 1995 set a pre-condition of privatising the agency for providing loan for Dhaka WASA’s development. The World Bank condition sparked off movement by the employees unions and the Dhaka WASA leased out three of its eight revenue zones to the employees association in 2003.
   The association makes and collect bills in the three zones where revenue earning went up significantly after 2003. Also, the association has been able to bring down the system loss in the three zones to 30 per cent from 60 per cent, Dhaka WASA sources said.
   A WB official, however, said under the master plan, they had not set any condition of privatisation for the drainage and sewerage of the Dhaka WASA, which would simultaneously be assisted by the ADB.
   A number of WASA officials and members of civil society opined that sufferings of the consumers would go up if the proposed master plan was implemented.
   Zaber Hossain, a leader of the collective bargaining agent at Dhaka WASA, said it would be a more effective and beneficial approach if the government itself could finance the master plan and appoint local consultants for it.
   ‘The donors’ loan will be a burden for the government and a lion’s share of the fund will be wasted due to corruption and consultation. Besides, the anti-people condition for raising the price set by the lenders would do nothing other than destroying the agency,’ he said.
   A WASA official said some bureaucrats and politicians were always benefited from the projects implemented with lenders money.
   ‘Implementation of the World Bank, ADB master plan will pave way for their business in the name of uprooting corruption from the Dhaka WASA,’ Professor Anu Mohammad said.
   Professor Nazrul Islam of the geography and environment department of the Dhaka University, in a recent seminar, warned that supplied water would be inaccessible for not only the poor but also the rich in near future if the utility service agency was not made corruption-free.

Dhaka Sheraton Hotel and ntv, a privately owned satellite television channel, will organise a charity concert for children at the hotel on September 12.
   The fund raised from the concert will be donated to the children’s immunisation and vaccination programme of the United Nations Children Fund in Bangladesh.
   The GrameenPhone will sponsor the concert scheduled to begin at the Winter Garden of Sheraton Hotel at 6:30pm, said the organisers at a press conference at the hotel on Wednesday.
   Four band groups — Nagar Baul, LRB, Miles and Souls — will take part in the concert. The price of eighty per cent tickets will be Tk 700 each and the price of the rest tickets will be Tk 1000 each for the VIP seats. The Winter Garden can accommodate 1000 viewers, according to the Sheraton officials.
   Of the organisers, Louis Georges Arsenault, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, Trevor MacDonald, general manager of the Dhaka Sheraton, MD Enayetur Rahim, managing director of ntv, and Rubaba Doula Matin, head of marketing of the GrameenPhone, were present at the conference.
   Arsenault lauded the fund raising process through the partnership between the Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the parent company of Sheraton, and UNICEF, adding, ‘This has so far raised US$15 million fund globally, which goes to immunising children.’
   He hoped they would raise the highest fund in Bangladesh for children among the Asian countries through charity events.
   Enayet said ntv was willing to hold such concert for children every month if they got support from Sheraton Hotel.
   Among the band performers, Hamin Ahmed, Shafin Ahmed of Miles, Ayub Bachchu of LRB, Robin of Nagar Baul and Nasim Ali of Souls attended the conference.
   All the performers expressed their happiness to be a part of the charity concert and expressed their eagerness to join more such concerts to contribute for children.
   Some officials from UNICEF and Sheraton were also present at the press conference.

The left leaning progressive teachers’ alliance staged a sit-in at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Wednesday demanding removal of the vice-chancellor, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed.
   Meanwhile, the students of the university also observed a hunger strike at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city demanding resumption of classes and trial of the killers of Mosharraf Hussain Shamim, a fourth year BBA student, who was killed in the police firing on May 14.
   More than 50 teachers gathered near the administrative building and staged the sit-in from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
   Leaders of the teachers’ alliance said they will also hold a rally today and announce the next course of the agitation to push for one-point demand of withdrawal of the vice-chancellor.
   On the other hand, the agitating students said they will gather at the Central Shaheed Minar today from where they will bring out a procession and later organise a press conference at Sylhet Press Club at 11:00am.
   They will also hold a rally at Shaheed Minar on Saturday and announce fresh agitation programmes.
   ‘We have planned to launch tougher movement after September 9, if our demands are not met by this time,’ said Abu Awal Md Shoyeb, a student leader.
   Chhatra Sangram Parishad, a combine of the opposition student bodies, had been observing an indefinite strike since August 9 demanding immediate withdrawal of the vice-chancellor.
   Leaders of the SUST Teachers’ Association at a press conference at the library building demanded end to the deadlock at the university and formation of an inquiry committee to probe into the incidents occurred between May 12 and May 14 on the campus.

Mobile courts in the Dhaka city on Wednesday realised Tk 1 lakh from different restaurants and diagnostic centres for selling adulterated food in unhygienic atmosphere and running the centres without approval.
   The courts also sealed off a polythene factory and a diagnostic centre during the drive.
   A mobile court, led by magistrate Sardar Keramat Ali, raided a polythene factory at 11, Lolith Mohan Das Lane and sealed it off. The court also issued arrest warrant against the factory owner, Firoj Uddin Babu alias Lal Babu.
   Another mobile court, led by magistrate Narayan Chandara Debnath, raided Sohel Diagnostic Centre and Nursing Home on Gajmahal Road at Hajaribagh and fined the manager, Rustam Ali, Tk 30,000, in default, to suffer three months of imprisonment for not having approval from teh authorities concerned.

Light rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely at one or two places over the Sylhet, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong divisions while weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere in Bangladesh till 6:00pm today, said the Met Office in a forecast on Wednesday.
   Day temperature may rise slightly during the period. The highest temperature on Wednesday, 35.2 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Jessore and the lowest, 24.4 degrees Celsius, at Sandwip.
   The sun sets in the capital city today at 6:11pm and will rise on Friday at 5:42am.

Nari Unnayan Shakti, a non-governmental organisation, started a day care centre for children under the child development project in Dhaka on Monday.
   Secretary for Women and Children Affairs Kamal Uddin Ahmed inaugurated the centre at house 43, Road 4, Block E, Banasree, Rampura in Dhaka.
   The inaugural programme was presided over by executive director of Nari Unnayan Shakti Afroza Parvin.
   With the objective of ensuring security and developing children in a better environment, the NUS has started the programme.
   A full time MBBS doctor, trained child psychologist, teacher, aya and security service will play vital role for the children in the centre, hoped the authorities.
   Education in English and Bengali medium through recreation, educative video CD projection, toys item and satellite channel facility will be ensured at the centre. A part time cultural teacher is also working with the centre.
   Among others, executive director of the Forum for Culture and Human Development Dr Muhammad Razzak was present at the opening programme.

Kawsar Parvin, wife of Abdus Sobhan of 248, Elephant Road, Dhaka, died of diabetic ailment in her residence on Wednesday. She was 65.
   She is survived by her husband, two sons and one daughter.
   Her janaza was held at Kataban Mosque and was buried at Azimpur Graveyard.
   A prayer session and qul khwani will be held in her residence after the asr prayers on Friday.
   Relatives and friends of the deceased have been requested to attend the occasion and pray for the departed soul.