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Professor Dr Engr Md Sabbir Mostafa Khan, Head of the Department of Water Resources Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), has been appointed Chairman of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA).
The appointment comes as the capital faces major challenges in ensuring safe drinking water, modern sewerage services, effective drainage, and climate resilience.
The Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives issued the appointment notification on Sunday. Under Section 7(1) of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Amendment) Act, 2025, Dr Khan has been appointed Chairman of the Dhaka WASA Board for a three-year term.
Officials say the appointment marks more than an administrative change, placing the country’s largest water utility under the leadership of a renowned expert with decades of experience in water resources management, urban drainage and climate adaptation.
Over a career spanning nearly three decades, Dr Khan has focused on water resources, river management, flood control, waterlogging and urban drainage, alongside teaching and research in engineering.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from BUET in 1996, followed by a master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering from the same university. He later completed a second master’s degree and a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Joining BUET as a lecturer in 1997, he was promoted through the ranks to assistant professor, associate professor and professor. He currently serves as Head of the Department of Water Resources Engineering.
As the new chairman, Dr Khan is expected to address several key priorities, including ensuring a safe and uninterrupted water supply, reducing dependence on groundwater through alternative water sources, expanding the sewerage network, improving integrated drainage systems to tackle urban waterlogging, strengthening climate resilience against floods and extreme weather, and enhancing service quality, accountability and institutional efficiency.,