LGRD minister visits WASA’s ATM water booth at the National Urban Forum

Abdul Moyeen Khan, minister for local government, rural development and co-operatives, visited the Dhaka WASA stall at the National Urban Forum 2026 during the two-day event’s closing session hosted at a hotel in the capital on Monday.

The minister experienced the Water ATM booth first-hand. Tapping a prepaid card, he drew a glass of safe drinking water from the booth, the same way hundreds of thousands of Dhaka residents do every day.

Speaking with the Dhaka WASA and Drinkwell teams, the Minister observed that ensuring proper maintenance is the critical success factor for the project to sustain.

The National Urban Forum 2026 concluded Monday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka, after two days of sessions under the theme "Advancing Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Urban Development in Bangladesh". Organised by the Local Government Division, UNDP Bangladesh and the Government of the United Kingdom, the forum brought together around 150 policymakers, city corporation and municipal officials, development partners, academics and community representatives to take forward the implementation of the National Urban Policy 2025.

The Water ATM programme is a public-private partnership between Dhaka WASA and Drinkwell. Around 300 Water ATM booths now operate across the capital, each treating water on site and dispensing it around the clock through a prepaid smart card at 1 taka per litre, 1/25th the price of bottled water alternatives. Every booth is staffed by a trained local operator and is monitored remotely, so that filters are serviced and faults are fixed through a control centre Drinkwell operates at Dhaka WASA Bhaban. Together, the Dhaka booths have dispensed more than 2 billion litres of safe drinking water.

The Minister's remarks on maintenance go to the heart of Drinkwell's operating model, which is built on operating and maintaining infrastructure over its full life rather than building it and walking away.

"The Honourable Minister put his finger on exactly the right thing. A Water ATM is only as good as the people who maintain it, and a decade of running booths in Dhaka has taught us that operations and maintenance is where the real work lies. In line with the Honourable Prime Minister's vision of a Clean City, Green City, we are now expanding this effort in partnership with Narayanganj City Corporation through the ADB-financed Narayanganj Green and Resilient Urban Development Project. And because a green city is more than a clean one, we are committing to planting trees at every Water ATM we operate across the country. Each booth should become a small patch of shade and safe water for its neighbourhood, cared for by the same operator who keeps the water flowing."