Except for a few pockets, there will be no problem in uninterrupted water supply in the capital in the upcoming summer, claimed the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority managing director, Taqsem A Khan.
‘If you count on percentage, you will see the highest two per cent of citizens suffering for water crisis in the city,’ he said at an opinion sharing discussion, organised by the authorities at its Karwan Bazar office in the city.
Representatives of different media houses took part in the programme titled ‘DWASA’s preparation to ensure water supply in summer’. 
Taqsem said at present they were producing about 208 crore litres of water as against the daily demand for 215 to 225 crore litres though they had the capacity to produce 210 to 215 crore litres daily.
‘Due to increased use of water, reduced level of ground water level, and load shedding, water supply is sometimes hampered in summer which begins towards the end of February and lasts till the middle or end of May,’ he said.
From February 2011 to March this year, WASA has set up 30 new deep tube-wells and replaced 58 more, purchased 200 permanent generators, gave duel power connection to 23 pumps, experimentally activated  Saidabad’s pre treatment unit, set up chlorination sets at 100 water pumps, renovated 51.6 kilometres of water supply lines and gave 69 connections to 18 slums, he added. 
‘So we want to say that we will have total control over our water supply and management in this upcoming summer,’ the managing director said. ‘We also have arrangement for the problems faced by some pockets.’
He said through the pre treatment unit they were able to remove bad smell in DWASA-supplied water in areas like Motijheel, Paltan and old Dhaka city.
He said the authorities would check out if there were any allegation against any WASA employees selling water at higher price and any centres not receiving customers’ phone calls.
WASA’s 36 tankers, 11 vigilance teams and 15 allegation centres would be ready to serve the citizens, the managing director added.
About the old supply lines and illegal connections, the official said with the help of the Asian Development Bank they were changing all supply lines dividing the city into 81 areas. ‘Till now, we have changed the supply lines in two zones’.
Taqsem claimed that DWASA’s management system, compared to that of Mumbai, Karachi, Nairobi, and Calcutta, was in a better position.
About DWASA’s long-term initiatives, he mentioned that the authorities would end the work of Saidabad Water Treatment Plant Phase II project within December this year.
Feasibility study of Pagla Water Treatment Plant project was completed while preparation has been taken to conduct feasibility study on Saidabad’s phase III and Khilkhet Water Treatment Plant projects.
At present DWASA has 3,02,513 connections, he informed.
DWASA chief engineer and acting SDM Quamrul Alam Chowdhury, commercial manager and finance department acting deputy managing director Uttam Kumar Roy, secretary Majibur Rahman Al-Mamun, and Saidabad water treatment plant phase II and III projects’ director Mohammad Serajuddin were also present at the programme.