History

Rajshahi Water Supply System was installed in 1937 under the municipality of rajshahi by the water supply section of the Ministry of Works, Calcutta, India. The system had more than 100 street water reservoirs, locally called ‘Dhopkal‘, each with a capacity of 470 gallons. Queen Hemanta Kumari of Puthia donated Tk 2.50 lac for the unique water supply network for Rajshahi town and these Dhopkals were set up in Rajshahi town in 1937.

These Dhopkals were connected to a centrally built iron and hardness removal plant and an elevated service reservoir through reticulated distribution pipes of cast iron of diameter 3 to 6 inch . The reticulation system covered an area of about 4 square kilometers and was designed to serve a population of about 20 thousand people. The treatment plant, the Hatem Khan water works, had a capacity of 700m3 water per day but was abandoned in 1965. However, many of the Dhopekals are still in use by the Water Supply Authority in the town. During the decades 1980 and 1990, DPHE (Department of Public Health Engineering) with Dutch Government and Government of Bangladesh supported and implemented Rajshahi Water Supply Master Plan. Under this project 4 number underground water treatment plant, 30 deep tubewells and 231.48 Kilometer pipe lines has been installed. This supplies ground water from 30 deep tubewells through pipe networks of 231.48 km reticulated over an area of 93.34 square kilometers. The system is designed to serve to the estimated population of 7 lac in 2000. Present availability of water supply in the municipal area is that 70% of the population have access to pipe water and 30% by tubewells with hand pumps.

Rajshahi City Corporation tried to bring discipline in water management system after building high reservoir. It is noted that due to limited capacity of dutch aided project it was not sufficient enough to fulfill the demand of water in the city. About 10 years after the City Corporation himself installed some deep tubewells and pipe lines but this also was a limited supply system for the demand of fast growing people of the city.

Water supply & sewerage section of rajshahi city corporation separated from Rajshahi City Corporation and formed Rajshahi WASA as a sole authority for water supply & sewerage of city corporation area on 01 august, 2010. Rajshahi WASA starts it’s operation on 10 march, 2011 from shalbagan water treatment plant Building.