Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Thursday opposed the government’s move to increase the water tariff of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), saying it will be an anti-people decision. “If the water tariff is increased, the suffering of people will worsen further. So, it won't be justified to raise the prices of water in any way,” he said. The Jatiya Party Chairman also said the Dhaka Wasa’s proposal of increasing the water of water by 20 per cent is not acceptable in any way. “Increasing water tariff will be an anti-people decision.” He came up with the remarks while addressing a meeting of Jatiya Party’s additional secretaries general at party chairman’s Banani office. GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said many people have lost their jobs due to the Covid pandemic. “The number of unemployed, who lost their jobs and businesses, in the country is now several crores. In such a reality, ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet,” he observed. The Jatiya Party chief also said people are going through a tough time to cope with the growing price hike in essential commodities. He said common people have an allegation that they are not getting enough water from Dhaka Wasa despite paying water bills every month. “Many people also complained that the water of Wasa is dirty, stinky and not drinkable.”

BNP on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the office of the managing director (MD) of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), protesting the increase in water tariff. BNP Dhaka south city unit president Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Dhaka north city unit senior vice-president Munshi Bazlul Basit Anju handed over the memorandum to the authorities concerned at Wasa Bhaban in the capital. Addressing the Wasa MD, the party mentioned in the memorandum that the decision to raise water tariff by Dhaka Wasa during the Covid pandemic that caused public sufferings in many ways is inhumane, undesirable, illogical, anti-people and it goes against the fundamental rights. “It seems to add salt to injuries.” Read: BNP seeks govt's prompt steps to send Khaleda abroad It also said the cost of living will increase along with the increase in public sufferings if the water tariff is raised during this difficult time of the Covid epidemic. “On behalf of the residents of Dhaka, BNP’s Dhaka south and north units strongly condemn and protest the hike in water tariffs and demand the immediate cancellation of this anti-people decision,” the memorandum reads. Read: BNP resorting to politics of violence, says Quader The party also demanded the Wasa ensure uninterrupted supply of safe and pure drinking water to all city dwellers by stopping corruption, plundering, irregularities and waywardness. In the memorandum, BNP said water tariff has been tripled in the last 13 years with 14th-time hikes, but it could not ease the suffering s of the city dwellers. In its 279th board meeting in March last, Wasa decided to increase the prices of water by 5% for residential and commercial uses which will be effective from July 1. As per the new decision, the prices of each unit (1,000 litres) of water will be Tk 15.18 for residential use and Tk 42 for commercial use. Dhaka Wasa also hiked water prices by about 25% last year.