A modern surface water treatment plant is being constructed near Mongla Port at a cost of nearly Tk 25 crore to meet the demand for freshwater.
The demand for water at the port is about 3,000 tonnes with a supply of about 1,800 tonnes daily.
Once the plant becomes operational, it is expected to supply about 4,000 tonnes of water daily and meet the everyday demand for fresh water among ships, port offices, residential areas and various government and non-government organisations at the port and adjacent areas, reports our Bagerhat correspondent.
According to Mongla Port sources, the water treatment plant is being constructed on 33 decimals of land at Digraj intersection on Khulna-Mongla highway, five kilometres away from the Mongla Port building.
The estimated cost of construction is Tk 24,72,50,000. The construction of the plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022.
Due to its coastal location, there has been a shortage of fresh water at Mongla Port since its inception in 1947.
Residents of Mongla Port Municipality are also in dire need of fresh water. As saltwater enters the river directly from the sea, the Mongla Port and locals had to rely on rain water and bottled water for drinking.
Due to the lack of fresh water, many employees of the port opt to live in Khulna and Bagerhat.
“The number of ships arriving at the port has increased. The port has also undergone many developments. But there is a shortage of fresh water at the port due to geographical reasons. We are trying to solve this crisis and ensure the availability of freshwater. As part of this, a modern surface water treatment plant is being constructed at the port,” said Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, chairman of the Mongla Port Authority.
“There is a lot of water on all sides of the port, But, this is saline water and unusable. The biggest problem in the port area is the lack of fresh water. Construction of the surface water treatment plant will meet our water demand. The local people and employees of this area will be able to live well,” said Abul Hossain, an employee of Mongla Port.
“Once operational, the water treatment plant will produce 4,000 tonnes of freshwater per day. If we can supply water to the foreign ships then we will get 10 dollars per tonne of water,” said Anupam Gain, project director of the water treatment plant project.
“After all the process of the project, the contractor started construction of the main plant and has already completed about 40 percent of the work. We hope to be able to complete all the work by December 2021 or beginning of 2022,” the project director added.
Md Jahirul Haq, chief planning officer of Mongla Port, told The Daily Star that they will use 50 percent of water from the plant to the port, sell 10 percent of the water and supply the rest of the water to the ships and adjacent industries.
When the water demand will be met then the officials who are living in Khulna will be able to live near Mongla Port, he added.
Source: The Daily Star
