Bangladesh has a significant coastline and its calamity-prone nature poses the threat of salinated water. Ensuring clean water and sanitation for the huge population of Bangladesh is a necessary step towards attaining SDGs.
Billions of people all over the world lack access to clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). A 2020 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for WASH showcases that 3 in 10 people in the world cannot access soap and water in their homes just to wash their hands. South Asia performs extremely poorly in WASH, as only 2 in 5 people in this region do not have access to soap and water in their residences. Though Bangladesh has a long way to go in ensuring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for all, this article looks into the advances the country has made so far to realize where Bangladesh stands in the status quo.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is considered to be the bare minimum for any individual’s life – something that is expected from the government as a basic service. WASH is pivotal for public health, as the absence thereof exposes citizens to a myriad of health issues, including water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, rotavirus, and hepatitis. Arsenic in groundwater also poses serious risks in the context of Bangladesh.
Performance on SDG 6
In the urban regions of Bangladesh, piped water supply is prevalent, whereas in rural areas, households access water supply mainly through handpump tubewells and other water bodies and points, including sand filters, ring wells, and rainwater harvesting units.
According to the SDG Dashboard, Bangladesh is moderately improving on ‘Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)’. The Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 showcases that in 2019, around 98.5% of household members made use of improved sources of drinking water. At the national level, 47.9% of the population used safely managed drinking water services. The proportion of the population utilizing safely managed drinking water services in urban and rural areas is respectively 44.7% and 48.8%. As per WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (UNJMP) 2017 data, 87% accessed improved sources of water in 2017.
2003 - 42% Without Latrine Access
42% of the population failed to access latrine for defecation
2019 - 90.6% Urban and 82.9% Rural Latrine Access
84.6% of household members used improved sanitation facilities at the national level in 2019
2019 - 74.8% of Households had Soap and Water
which is 87% and 71.4%, respectively, in urban and rural regions.
A nationwide baseline survey in 2003 in Bangladesh showed that improved sanitation coverage was only 33%, and 42% of the population failed to access latrine for defecation. According to MICS 2019, 84.6% of household members used improved sanitation facilities at the national level in 2019, while 90.6% and 82.9% accessed them, respectively, in urban and rural areas. In 2019, 74.8% of households practiced a hand-washing facility with soap and water, which is 87% and 71.4%, respectively, in urban and rural regions.
Bangladesh is the second South Asian country after Sri Lanka to effectively eliminate open defecation. The advancement of Bangladesh towards zero open defecation portrays the country’s consistent commitment to development. In 2003, over 42% of the population practiced open defecation, which stood at only 1% in 2015 as per UNJMP data.
According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) report in 2015:
1%
Only 1% of the population practiced open defecation.
10%
10% of the population used unimproved latrines.
28%
28% of the population enjoyed shared latrines.
61%
61% of the population accessed improved latrines.
Government Initiatives
Although many Bangladeshi schools still lack adequate toilet and handwashing facilities for students, the provision of WASH facilities in schools, accompanied by ‘School-Led Total Sanitation’, positions children as agents of change in their homes and communities.
In most government and NGO-led WASH projects, government agencies and other pertinent actors increased women’s participation in the implementation and monitoring of the projects. In addition, women played a pivotal role in the awareness campaigns in their respective communities.
The government, along with NGOs, actively promoted low-cost strategies in households to ensure access to sanitation for all. The strategy is to encourage individuals to first build the simplest latrines possible at a low cost and then gradually climb or progress over time towards higher-quality, higher-specification and higher-cost alternatives. This concept is widely known as the “sanitation ladder.”
The government has collaborated with numerous NGOs to improve access to WASH for low-income groups in cities across the country. Numerous urban slum community-based projects were undertaken to improve the water supply for the slum dwellers who do not hold legal entitlement to land in the first place. Dustha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), UNICEF, and UKAid have built sanitary toilets in various slums of the capital city, Dhaka. Since the inception of such a project, the slums of Dhaka witnessed a substantial reduction in diseases, including cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, jaundice, and skin diseases. The beneficiaries of the project received training on maintaining such facilities. In addition, septic water tanks, underground drainage pipelines, and bathrooms for people with disabilities were constructed while ensuring the main lane was dry and free from wastewater overflow.
With the funding of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dhaka WASA is building water pipelines in slums. In one of the largest slums in Dhaka, Korai, around 456 water points have been activated. The initiative has also created a revenue source for WASA, as the slum residents are willing to pay and contribute to further improving WASH in their slums.
Dhaka South City Corporation has partnered with WaterAid Bangladesh and the H&M Foundation to set up 500 drinking water fountains in major areas of Dhala. The drinking fountains will be accompanied by all modern amenities, including modern toilets with separate facilities for men and women, showers, lockers, 24/7 electricity supply, CCTV cameras, professional cleaners, and female caretakers.
In the early 2000s, the Bangladesh government adopted ‘Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)’, which was formulated in Bangladesh by WaterAid. As per the approach, communities are at the heart of ensuring sanitation in their areas, instead of individuals. Communities conduct their own appraisal and analysis of open defecation in their areas and undertake pertinent initiatives to attain ‘open defecation free’ status. The approach also significantly increases awareness in the communities about the need to establish and use improved latrines.
The government-led sanitation campaigns, including the Union Sanitation Campaigns, reached the very grassroots of the country by providing sanitation and hygiene education. The Local Government Institutions (LGIs) collaborated with NGOs to run campaigns like Dishari (Decentralized Total Sanitation Project) at the sub district levels of the country.
Policy and Regulatory Frameworks
1 - Increasing WASH Interventions
2 - Addressing Emerging Challenges
3 - Strengthening Sector Governance
The water and sanitation sector requires an integrated strategy, as the Sector Development Plan (SDP) 2011–25 made clear. The decrease of open defecation, guaranteeing the provision of safe drinking water, mitigating arsenic contamination, and forming strategic partnerships for expanding the coverage of water and sanitation infrastructure are the primary areas of concern, and the SDP 2011–25 describes how national policies address these issues. A total of seventeen initiatives have been developed with this overarching objective in mind, and they are loosely categorised into three themes: expanding WASH interventions, tackling new issues, and bolstering sector governance. The goal of the plan is to give consistent strategic guidance to the major players in the industry, such as NGOs, the commercial sector, and government agencies.
As stated in its post-2015 development agenda (2016–30), “safe and sustainable sanitation, hygiene, and drinking water used by all” is the government of Bangladesh’s (GOB) objective. The proposed plan includes precise objectives and metrics aimed at fulfilling Bangladesh’s post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
A long-term plan for the Bangladesh delta has been developed recently, called Delta Plan-2100, in collaboration with the Dutch government. It includes planning from several sectors relevant to the delta. One of the main components of this century-long plan is the security of food and water supplies, as well as national economic growth and the mitigation of climate change.
Legal Frameworks
The Water Act 2013 of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) provides a legal framework for the sector, along with the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Act 1996, Environmental Conservation Act 1995, Environmental Conservation Rules 1997, and the different Local Government Acts 2009 for the City Corporations, the Pourashavas (Municipalities), the Upazila Parishads, and the Union Parishads.
- 1. Safe Water Supply and Sanitation Policy and Water Policy
- 2. Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy
- 3. Water and Sanitation Sector Strategy
- 4. Sector Development Plan for Water Supply and Sanitation
While developing the plan, Bangladesh has already identified people and places that are socioeconomically, hydrogeologically, and difficult to access.
Geographically challenging regions like char, haor (wetland), the coastal belt, and hilly areas have seen an increase in government investment in WASH, but it is still far less than in other regions.
There is a gap in ensuring appropriate toilet technologies for differently abled people at affordable cost.
Facilities for sanitation and drinking water are under tremendous strain due to the over one million Rohingya refugees who have arrived in the Teknaf region. Despite the greatest efforts of national and international agencies, providing Teknaf—a geographically difficult area—with safe drinking water and adequate sanitation has proven to be incredibly difficult.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) made the recommendation in November 2015 to hold a Heads of State/Government Panel on Water and to establish high-level coalitions to address important water-related issues. The Panel would take the lead in promoting water resilience and adaptation on a worldwide scale.
Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, was proposed to be one of the HLPW’s steering members. Bangladesh’s remarkable accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 to 2015 solidified her stature in the 11-member HLPW. Achieving SDG-6 in particular and other SDGs that depend on the development and management of water resources is the main responsibility of the HLPW.
About the Author
Shah Adaan Uzzaman is the Blog Administrator at The Confluence. A former Bangladesh Television Debate Champion and winner of several policy & debate competitions, he is currently a student of IBA, University of Dhaka.