Govt plans nationwide safe drinking water project worth Tk 25,000 crore

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The government is planning a Tk 25,000 crore integrated project to ensure safe drinking water for people across Bangladesh, Local Government Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan said.

Speaking after a meeting with a UNICEF delegation on Thursday, he said providing safe water for the country’s 180 million people remains a major challenge.

The minister said declining river flows and upstream water diversion are worsening water shortages, particularly in northern and southern regions. Reduced freshwater flows are also allowing seawater salinity to move further inland, creating a long-standing drinking water crisis in the south.

He said the government discussed cooperation with the United Nations and financing for the proposed project. The initiative would involve several organisations, with their combined contributions estimated at around $2.1 billion, or roughly Tk 25,000 crore.