DHAKA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved 170 million U.S. dollars to improve sanitation services in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka city benefiting around 1.5 million people.

Photo: CGTN

The Dhaka Sanitation Improvement Project will help improve Dhaka's livability with safely managed sanitation services, particularly in the southern part of the city, said the Washington-based lender in a statement received here Saturday.

The project will treat sewage and septage, which will help reduce inland flooding and water pollution, said the statement.

It will also provide 50,000 new household sewer connections.

Further more, to improve the quality of living in slum and low-income housing areas, the project will upgrade toilets and install communal septic tanks.

"About 3.5 million people living in Dhaka's low-income communities, especially women suffer most from poor sanitation and high levels of pollution," said Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. "This project will help ensure safe sanitation, which is essential for reducing public health risks as well as extreme poverty."

The project will help construct a new Sewage Treatment Plant at Pagla area with a capacity of treating about 150 million liters of domestic waste water per day.