Water experts at a seminar on Thursday stressed providing legal water connection to the city slums with a view to ensuring access to safe water for the slum dwellers.
They said the slum dwellers are always keen to have legal water connection of WASA and pay for the water, but often they are denied legal connection as the musclemen occupy the slums and provide illegal water connections, forcing the slum dwellers to pay exorbitant price for water.
Dhaka WASA, Population Services and Training Centre, Dustha Shasthya Kendra, Unicef and the Asian Development Bank jointly organised the seminar titled, ‘Legal Water Connections to Korail Slum: Sharing Experience and What Next!’ at a Dhaka city hotel.
State minister for LGRD and cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Local Government Division secretary Abu Alam M Shahid Khan, chief of water, sanitation, hygiene section of Unicef Charlie Hrachya Sargsyan and chairman of Dhaka WASA Board M Rahmatullah spoke at the seminar. Dhaka WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan presided over the programme.
Jahangir Kabir Nanak said legal and safe water is the fundamental right of every citizen, and the present government is committed to ensure that right.
He congratulated Unicef and the Asian Development Bank for their initiative to bring the slum people of Dhaka city under the legal water connections.
-With New Age input
