New PPP model launched to address Chattogram’s water crisis: Finance Minister

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A new pilot initiative has been launched in two wards of Chattogram’s Patenga to address the city’s ongoing shortage of safe drinking water, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said on Friday.

The initiative is based on a public-private partnership (PPP) model aimed at improving water supply services for underprivileged communities. Under a three-year memorandum of understanding, Chattogram WASA will work with Max Foundation Bangladesh and Max Social Enterprise Limited.

The pilot project will initially cover Wards 40 and 41, including North Patenga and South Patenga. The Netherlands Embassy is providing financial and technical support for the initiative.

The Finance Minister said ensuring access to safe drinking water is a fundamental responsibility of the government, but cooperation among the government, private sector and NGOs is essential to provide services effectively.

According to Chattogram WASA officials, the organisations will assess demand and test a sustainable water supply model before considering wider implementation across the city.

A survey conducted by Max Foundation Bangladesh and Max Social Enterprise Limited in May found that around 164,099 residents in Wards 40 and 41 have limited access to safe drinking water. Only around 20–40 percent of households in these areas are connected to the Chattogram WASA pipeline network.

The region also faces serious groundwater salinity, with tests recording salinity levels of up to 3,000 parts per million (ppm), significantly above Bangladesh’s national safe limit of 1,000 ppm.

The minister said the government is also working to address Chattogram’s drainage problems and is discussing possible cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy on the issue.

He described the new partnership model as an effort to make public services more sustainable and reliable by combining government funding, private-sector investment and NGO support.