Veolia & Suez win €275 million DBO contract for Bangladesh drinking water treatment plant

The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the authority in charge of drinking water and wastewater management for the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, has chosen Veolia, together with Suez, for the design, build and operate contract for the Gandharbpur drinking water treatment plant.

The contract, awarded following an international call for tenders, represents a cumulative total of around €275 million. The project will be conducted through a joint venture held equally by Veolia, through its fully owned subsidiary Veolia Water Technologies, and Suez, the consortium leader.

Dhaka is today facing dwindling supply from its aquifers, the main source of drinking water for its population of 11 million. Compounded by population growth and increasing urbanization, the amount of drinking water required is expected to double by 2030 in Dhaka while the level of the region’s aquifers continues to drop each year.

In response, the Bangladeshi government established the Dhaka Water Supply Project, which aims to diversify water intakes and in particular to augment the use of surface water.

The contract won by Veolia and Suez covers the design, build and operation of a new drinking water treatment plant using a water intake 22 km upstream on the Meghna River. Located in Dhaka’s Gandharbpur district, the plant with a daily production capacity of 500,000 m³ will supply approximately 4.3 million of the capital’s residents with drinking water compliant with the World Health Organization’s international standards.

The unique feature of the project is the construction of a major facility in a region subject to flooding and earthquakes. The entire facility has been designed in particular to withstand the risks related to the region’s frequent earthquakes.

The design and complete construction of the facility – scheduled to take four years – will be followed by a three-year operation and maintenance phase. The two partners will ensure the gradual transfer of expertise to WASA employees. The plant will be funded by the Asian Development Bank, the AFD (French Development Agency), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Bangladeshi government.