New safe-water initiative targets more than 164,000 Chattogram residents

More than 164,000 people in two underserved wards of Chattogram have limited access to safe drinking water, according to a rapid assessment behind a new public-private initiative.

The Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Max Foundation Bangladesh and Max Social Enterprise have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding. The project will begin with a needs assessment and pilot in wards 40 and 41 of Chattogram City Corporation.

CWASA’s piped network reaches only 20 to 40 percent of households in the port city. Most residents in the two wards buy water from private vendors. An estimated 85 to 115 vendors operate there, charging Tk 25 to 50 a day for 25 to 30 litres.

The assessment, conducted in May, also found groundwater salinity of up to 6,000 parts per million. Bangladesh’s national safe limit is 1,000 parts per million.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government, private sector and NGOs each bring different strengths to the effort. “NGOs have the outreach, the private sector brings experience, finance and investment, while the government provides facilitation. These three forces must work together.” He said the pilot could expand across Chattogram and eventually Bangladesh if it succeeds.

The Netherlands is providing financial and technical support but is not a party to the agreement. The initiative builds on a Dutch-supported program that established more than 105 decentralized piped-water grids in Patuakhali, Barishal and Khulna between 2022 and 2026. The partners will examine whether CWASA’s infrastructure can work with private operational and commercial expertise to deliver safer, more reliable water services.

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NGOs have the outreach, the private sector brings experience, finance and investment, while the government provides facilitation. These three forces must work together.