Water samples from Dhaka WASA will be sent to a laboratory in Sweden for fresh tests after research found a chemical called PFAS in the utility's water. Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan said so in a written reply in parliament to a question from MP Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan.
The minister said a team of researchers from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University had collected water from eight WASA ATM booths and had it tested in a European country, where one sample was reportedly found to contain PFAS above the permitted level. WASA was not told about the sampling, and the results have not yet been published. WASA runs about 300 ATM booths.
Citing a research report, the MP said water samples from ATM booths in eight zones had been found to contain PFAS, pesticides and pharmaceutical substances.
WASA met the research team, the minister said, and an 11-member committee of researchers and WASA representatives was formed. Because such tests are not done in Bangladesh or neighbouring countries, the committee, set up on 27 October, is working out the cost of retesting. On its recommendation, he said, the samples will be retested at a laboratory in Sweden.
PFAS are man-made chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, stains, grease or water. They reach soil and water from factory waste and everyday products and do not break down easily in nature, hence the name "forever chemicals". The report says they can pose health risks including cancer.
Replying to MP Rokeya Begum, the minister said Dhaka WASA now supplies 3.14 billion litres of water a day, meets demand in full and tests 40 to 50 samples daily to ensure quality. The report is by Ittefaq's digital desk.
Source: Ittefaq
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