Expressnews
Chennai, July 2023: The Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone for the 200 MLD Pagla Energy Neutral Sewage Treatment Plant on 13th July 2023. The event took place at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), Agargaon, Dhaka and was attended by distinguished guests including Mr Md. Tazul Islam, MP, Hon’ble Minister – Ministry of Local Govt., Rural Development and Co-operatives, Mr Muhammad Ibrahim, Secretary – Local Govt. Division, Mr Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director & CEO – Dhaka WASA, Mr Yao Wen, Ambassador – Embassy of China to Bangladesh, Mr Rajiv Mittal, Chairman & Managing Director – VA Tech WABAG Limited and other dignitaries from World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
WABAG received the breakthrough Design, Build and Operate (DBO) order of worth ~ USD 100 Million from Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA) during March 2023. The scope includes Design, Engineering, Supply, Construction, Installation and Commissioning of the 200 MLD STP followed by Operation & Maintenance (O&M) for a period of 60 months. The project is funded by Multi-Lateral Funding Agencies – World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) under Dhaka Sanitation Improvement Project (DSIP).
This project is being designed on Activated Sludge Treatment Process where it would use Green Fuel (Biogas) generated during the waste water treatment process producing Green Energy required for running the plant. This process also meets the best in class Environmental norms and the production of Renewable Energy contributes to the cause of combating global climate change.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh emphasized that the development of such Power-neutral Sewage Treatment Plants will position Bangladesh as a leader in South and South East Asia, promoting sustainability and addressing global climate change.
Commenting on this occasion, Mr Rajiv Mittal, CMD – VA Tech WABAG said, “Being a water technology company it has been our endeavour to promote innovative and sustainable technologies for water and wastewater management that ensures improved water and sanitation for people across the globe and aligns to SDG 06 Goals of the UN. The Pagla STP reinforces our commitment by playing a crucial role assuring efficient treatment and discharge of treated wastewater and thus will improve water quality of the Buriganga-Dhaleswari system. Also, powered with resource recovery model, the STP will produce renewable energy from the biogas to run the plants leading to lower OPEX.
WABAG is a leading player in the rejuvenation of River Ganga under the Clean Ganga Mission in India. We are glad to be part of this river rejuvenation at Bangladesh too. The project will have a positive impact on the water quality of Dhaka’s rivers. It will significantly reduce the volume of untreated wastewater and fecal sludge discharged into the rivers, contributing to the larger effort to improve sanitation services in the city.”
Mr. Arvind Dullu, Regional Business Head – South Asia said, “We are proud to be associated with Government of Bangladesh’s vision to provide clean and safe sanitation services to the citizens of Dhaka. We are thankful to our client Dhaka WASA for the confidence they have reposed in us for building the sustainable wastewater infrastructure for Dhaka.”
