A delegation of the ADB said this during a meeting with the LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan at his secretariat office yesterday.

The ADB is also interested in providing assistance to ensure supply of pure drinking water in other towns of the country. A survey will begin in this regard in July, the meeting sources said.

Under the ADB project, sewerage lines will be reconstructed alongside the setting up of new lines and a new water treatment plant in the city.

The minister urged the ADB delegation to complete the works by 2006 and assured all kinds of cooperation in this regard.

Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa ANH Akhter Hussein told BDNEWS that an estimated Tk 150 crore may be needed to repair the old lines and Tk 2,500 crore for the whole project.