Published: 10:47 AM, 06 September 2026
CWASA, Max join hands for new water PPP model
The Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) has joined hands with Max Foundation Bangladesh and Max Social Enterprise Ltd to establish a new public-private partnership model to improve the delivery of water services to underserved urban communities.
The three entities on Friday signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which they will jointly explore innovative public–private water service models for Chattogram City Corporation, beginning with a needs assessment and pilot in two wards, according to a press release.
The collaboration marks a new direction for Bangladesh’s water sector. It is the first formal collaboration between a Chattogram WASA, Max Foundation and Max Social Enterprise Ltd. to jointly test PPP models for urban water services.
The MoU signing follows a rapid assessment carried out by Max Foundation Bangladesh and Max Social Enterprise Ltd. (Max Tap Water) in May 2026, which found that 164,019 residents of the two wards -- 40 and 41 -- have limited access to safe drinking water, with CWASA’s piped network reaching just 20–40 per cent of households.
The rapid assessment also found that most residents currently buy water from private vendors -- of which 85 to 115 operate across the two wards -- paying Tk 25 to 50 in cash every day for 25 to 30 litres. It further found that groundwater in the area is heavily saline, with tests recording levels of up to 6,000 ppm against a national safe limit of 1,000 ppm.
The MoU was signed at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the presence of Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning, and Her Excellency Janna van der Linden, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Trade and Development at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh.
Engineer Selim Md Jane Alam, Managing Director of CWASA, Dr ATM Tariqul Islam, Country Director of Max Foundation Bangladesh and Yameen Farook, Managing Director of Max Social Enterprise Ltd, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides. The signing of this MOU was witnessed by Inge Klaassen, First Secretary for Water and Climate at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh is providing financial and technical support to the initiative but is not a signing party to the MoU.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the chief guest, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury praised the public-private partnership among CWASA, Max Foundation and Max Social Enterprise Ltd. for efforts to supply clean water to communities in Chattogram.
He said, “This is very much in line with our broader economic policy of building a creative economy and ensuring last-mile connectivity. The government alone cannot always reach the last mile. NGOs have the outreach, the private sector brings experience, finance and investment, while the government provides facilitation. These three forces must work together, and I am glad this project is based on that principle.”
The minister said if the pilot project in Chattogram succeeds, it can be expanded to other parts of Chittagong and eventually across the country.
He said Bangladesh and the Netherlands can work together not only on water supply, but also on waterway transportation, canal management and broader water-related development.
The special guest, Janna van der Linden, said the Netherlands has a very long-standing commitment to Bangladesh, particularly in the water sector. “This is at the heart of our expertise and international cooperation, but increasingly it is also becoming an important part of our economic relationship with Bangladesh,” she said.
The Dutch diplomat said: Our relationship is evolving. We are moving away from a traditional focus on aid and development towards creating an equal partnership based on sustainable economic development.
This means combining development impact with sustainable business models, innovation and private investment. And Chittagong is where we want to do this.”
Engineer Selim Md. Jane Alam said the partnership among the three entities is setting a benchmark for urban water management – one where public regulation and private innovation work hand in hand to serve the people of Chattogram reliability and sustainably.
Dr ATM Tariqul Islam urged clear commitments from all actors – the government, the private sector, and development partners. He emphasized on the importance of our collaborative efforts to ensure transformative reality where communities receive clean water within their households.
Yameen Farook said Max Foundation and Max Social Enterprise are working to replicate some of their water supply models, implemented in Barishal and Khulna, in the port city to improve the supply of clean water.
Israfil Khosru on behalf of people of Chattogram City Corporation presented the status quo of water supply within wards 40 and 41.
The partnership builds on experience gained through the Building Water Business (BWB) programme, implemented from 2022 to 2026 with support from The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Under the programme, more than 105 decentralised piped-water grids have been established across Patuakhali, Barishal and Khulna, demonstrating that professionally managed, paid-for water services can operate successfully in Bangladesh.
The new collaboration takes that experience into a different setting. Rather than simply replicating community-managed water grids, the initiative will explore how CWASA’s public infrastructure and bulk water supply capacity can be combined with private operational and commercial expertise under public oversight.
