ZCZC
BSS-14
ECNEC-MEETING
ECNEC approves Tk 1,882cr rural water supply, sanitation project
DHAKA, Dec 22, 2020 (BSS) – The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 1,882.59 crore project to ensure rural water supply, sanitation, following of health guidelines and thus providing WASH facilities to around 4.5 million people for their overall human resource development.
The approval came from the 19th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year (FY21) held virtually with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The Premier chaired the meeting from the her official Ganobhaban residence while Ministers, State Minister, Secretaries and other officials concerned joined the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Division Senior Secretary Md Ashadul Islam informed that a total of five projects were approved today involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 3,308.36 crore. “Of the total project cost, Taka 1,245.30 crore will come from the Government of Bangladesh portion, Taka 20.98 crore from the concerned organization’s own fund while the rest of Taka 2,042.08 crore as project assistance,”
Of the approved five projects, two are new while three others are revised projects.
Revealing the details of the project, Planning Commission member of the Physical Infrastructure Division Mamun-Al-Rashid said the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) under the Local Government Division will implement the project for ensuring rural water supply and sanitation by December 2025 with Taka 1,831.76 crore as loan from the World Bank and AIIB.
The project will be implemented at some 98 upazilas under 30 districts of eight Divisions.
Mamun said once the project is implemented, around 45 lakh people would get WASH facilities.
The main project operations include implementing some 78 large piped water supply scheme, 3,364 piped water supply scheme at community level, some 352 public sanitation and hygiene facilities, some 500 sanitation and hygiene facilities at community clinics, some 780 running water facilities at community clinic toilets, installing 3,51,270 toilets for extreme poor people, installing some 882 hand washing stations to prevent COVID-19, and providing necessary iteams to prevent COVID-19.
The Planning Division Senior Secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting asked the authorities concerned to ensure optimum use of surface water where it is available during the implementation of this project.
The day’s meeting also approved a project to ensure development of rural infrastructures in Narsingdi district with Taka 795.16 crore.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government Division will implement the project by June 2023 at Narsingdi Sadar, Palash, Shibpur, Monohordi, Belabo and Raipura upazilas.
The main project operations include some 569.04km rural road construction and rehabilitation, construction of 22,553 meter drains, some 12,000 meter slope protection work, construction of 15 bridges with a length of 636 meter, construction of six ghats, 14 markets and plantation of trees along 30 kilometer roads.
Ashadul said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting stressed the need for having a “master plan” in each upazila for properly building the infrastructures, mini stadiums and keeping water bodies. She also said that this master plan should not be prototype.
MORE/ASG/GM/QC/1540 hrs