The Hunan-Rajshahi WASA Surface Water Treatment Plant in Bangladesh was included in the list of key projects under the Belt & Road Initiative in October 2016. It was built by Hunan Construction Engineering Group, a subsidiary of Hunan Construction Investment Group (HCIG).

Once completed, it will significantly enhance the water supply security for both daily life and industry in the Rajshahi area. And it's expected to benefit about 1 million residents Therefore, it is of great significance for improving the regional infrastructure and people's well-being.  

On July 3, 2025, The Hunan-Rajshahi WASA Surface Water Treatment Plant project in Bangladesh received a thank-you letter from the the Rajshahi Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (RWASA), highly affirming the project progress and congratulating on its entering into the sprint stage.

Faced with various difficulties such as slow progress in design review, complex geological conditions, and harsh construction environment during the rainy season, the project department focused on key work procedures, weak links, and tough issues to tackle difficulties.

As a key livelihood project in the local area, the project has received high attention from the group and all participating units. 

In the early preparation stage of the project, Cai Dianwei, chairman of HCIG, led a team to Bangladesh to negotiate with the Bangladeshi government and relevant departments, and investigated the project construction, emphasized the need to organize a professional team to create a high-quality project. 

The main responsible persons and team members of each participating unit have visited the front line multiple times to supervise building work and coordinate resources to ensure the progress of the project.

To successfully achieve the output value target, the project department has developed a three-level control mechanism. The leaders stayed at the construction site for command, all equipment operated 24 hours a day without interruption, the number of workers increased from 410 to 820, and the original 4 water pipeline construction teams expanded to 8. The newly added 5 excavators, 2 tower cranes, and 1 crane are operating efficiently at the site.

Since May this year, Bangladesh has entered the rainy season. Frequent rainstorm has led to muddy roads, causing difficulty in mechanical and material transportation. 

In the face of harsh construction environments, the project department built rest canopies near the work area, so that workers can continue the work as soon as the rain stops.

To ensure the safety and quality of pipeline construction during the rainy season, the project department implemented steel sheet pile support for the pipe trench, forming a retaining and waterproof barrier to ensure efficient construction on narrow working surfaces. 

As of June 30, 5.5 kilometers of water pipeline was completed, 10% more than the original target of 5 kilometers.

Most of Bangladesh's territory is composed of alluvial plains, with complex geological conditions and low soil bearing capacity. This has increased the difficulty of foundation reinforcement, geological exploration, and pile foundation construction for the project, and has also directly led to frequent problems of drilling hole collapse. 

Therefore, the group organized a research team made up of technical experts and the project team. After in-depth analysis of geological data and combined with experience, they decided to enhance the mud properties to improve the wall protection ability, and strengthen the secondary hole cleaning to ensure the quality of the hole formation. 

Eventually, they effectively solved the problem of hole collapse and improved the construction efficiency, clearing obstacles for the progress of the project.

“Going abroad means greater responsibility, and it's not easy for those working overseas,” said project manager Zhu Xingguo. From the initial confusion to the current calmness, the project team has accumulated rich experience in cross-cultural communication, overseas resource allocation, and policy adaptation. 

By integrating "China Speed" into localized management practices, the project department has successfully promoted the construction of box culverts and raw water pipelines for the water intake access road crossing section. The high-quality completion of such tasks as the pouring of the clean water tank, the bottom plate of the booster pump room, and the construction of the foundation for the chlorination room have won the recognition of relevant departments in Bangladesh and vividly demonstrated HCIG's "iron army" spirit for excellence through hard work.