Pirojpur, Aug 3 (V7N) – A Tk 53.10 crore water supply project in Pirojpur’s Mathbaria municipality is on the verge of collapse due to alleged corruption and poor implementation, leaving over 5 lakh residents in daily distress.
 
A government-funded water supply project worth Tk 53.10 crore in Mathbaria municipality of Pirojpur has become largely non-functional within just a few years of completion. The initiative, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project (CTEIP), was designed to ensure safe drinking water for the town’s population. However, due to widespread irregularities and technical faults, the project is now struggling to operate, leaving over 5 lakh residents without consistent water supply.
 
Implemented jointly by the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the project began in 2016-17 and was completed in phases until 2021. The water treatment facility, built on 10 acres of acquired agricultural land in Surjamoni village, included a surface water treatment plant with a daily capacity of 45 lakh litres, 6 kilometres of MS pipeline, 3,500 household connections, two elevated reservoirs (each holding 5 lakh litres), and other infrastructure.
 
Water supply started on a trial basis in December 2020 and formally began operations in April 2021. However, within less than two years, extensive leakage in the MS pipelines began appearing. Repairs are required almost daily, and municipal sources estimate over 5 lakh litres of water are wasted each day. The cost of repairing the pipeline network has been projected at Tk 18 crore.
 
Officials admit that the problem stems from the poor quality of materials used. Instead of installing new, 30-year-durable MS pipes as per project guidelines, used and substandard pipes were allegedly sourced from Dhaka’s Dholai Khal and reused after cosmetic refurbishment. The result has been rapid deterioration of the network.
 
Despite several formal proposals in 2024 to replace the faulty MS pipes with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipes, the Ministry of Local Government and the LGED have not responded. The municipal authority says repeated appeals yielded no results, and the water crisis continues to deepen.
 
More alarmingly, since 2021, no official documentation or project files have been preserved at the municipal office. In June 2025, current municipal administrator Abdul Kaiyum issued show-cause notices to several former officials, including the then-executive engineer, draftsman, and a senior mechanic. Following this, some missing files were recovered, but doubts remain about their completeness.
 
Multiple sources claim that during the project’s execution, former mayor Rafiuddin Ahmed Ferdous, allegedly used his political position to take control of operations, sidelining other officials. Several figures, including LGED consultants and engineers, were reportedly involved in the mismanagement but escaped accountability.
 
Local residents also raised grievances about the land acquisition process for two water tanks in Wards 7 and 8, where they allege forced acquisition and under-compensation. One resident, Nazrul Islam Hawlader, stated that despite protests and legal action, he was compelled to accept minimal compensation for 14 decimals of land.
 
Whistleblowers within the municipality allege that concerns raised during the construction phase regarding the use of substandard materials were ignored. Some claim they faced threats and feared losing their jobs for trying to report the issues.
 
Investigations have revealed that the project’s former executive engineer and executive officer have since jointly constructed an eight-storey building on 14 decimals of land in Barisal city, allegedly with misappropriated funds.
 
Attempts to contact the former mayor and executive engineer were unsuccessful, while former municipal executive officer Harun-or-Rashid denied any involvement with the project.
 
Meanwhile, acting municipal officials and technicians warn that daily leakage now exceeds 8 lakh litres and that without urgent intervention, water supply could completely cease. Repair teams are overstretched, and funding is unavailable.
 
The lack of accountability over a Tk 53.10 crore public project, coupled with the disappearance of files for over five years, has angered local residents, who are now demanding a full and transparent investigation. Although a resolution was passed at the Pirojpur District Development Coordination Meeting in June 2025 to investigate the corruption, no visible progress has been made so far.
 
Residents of Mathbaria continue to face severe water shortages and daily hardship, as a project that promised clean water instead becomes a cautionary tale of systemic failure, corruption, and neglect.
 
END/MRS/SMA/