Achievement of MDG in terms of Water Supply and Sanitation: Bangladesh Context

Monwar Ali
Superintending Engineer, DPHE
Planning Circle, Dhaka

Bangladesh at a Glance

Area :147,570 sq. km
Population :140.00 million
Gross National Income (GNI) :$ 470.00
Life Expectancy :64 yrs.
Adult Literacy rate (2000-04) :M-50%, F-31%
Net Pry. School enrollment (2000-05) :84%

Million Development Goal and Bangladesh

► 8 Goals and 18 targets were set under the internationally agreed frame work of MDG. Target 10 under Goal 7 related to Water Supply and Sanitation: Halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to save drinking water and basic sanitation.
► Bangladesh committed to achieve the Target of MDG
► To achieve MDG, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) formulated and upgraded recognizing safe water and sanitation as priority agenda
► Pro-poor strategy, Sanitation strategy, Sector Development plan approved by the Government to materialize MDG Target
► Bangladesh Government has commitment to ensure arsenic safe water by 2011 and sanitation by 2013

ACCESS TO WATER SUPPLY

Rural

• Water supply of Bangladesh based on ground water achieved 97% of coverage in rural areas installing tubewell as low cost technology
• Installation of tube wells under private initiatives mostly increases the coverage. About 7.0 million private tubewell installed which is about 7 times greater than public tube wells.
• Arsenic in ground water lowered the safe water coverage at 74% in 2001 and caused great challenge for water supply
• To Address the situation in holistic way , Arsenic Mitigation Policy approved and different type of alternate options developed through action research
• Under different development project more than 1.0 lakh safe water options was installed along with 120 village piped water in arsenic affected areas.

Urban

• In urban areas, water supplied through pipe line in core areas and point source in fringe areas
• Ground water mostly used as source for piped supply in some cases with treatment for iron & arsenic. Surface water also used in limited scale with microbiological treatment
• Urban slum provided water mostly through point source and in some cases through community tap

The scenario of Piped water supply:
Area City Corporation Pourashava

Total Numbers 6 309
Piped W/S exist 6 159
Piped scheme under implementation 3 (DPHE) 148 (Study)

ACCESS TO SANITATION

• Sanitation situation of Bangladesh was very critical at the beginning of this century. Government took dynamic initiatives to improve the situation meeting the MDG target:
  • National Campaign
  • Baseline Survey
  • Intervention
  • Develop Private Entrepreneurship
  • Develop Technological options
  • Recognition of the local initiatives
  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  
• Government, Development partners, NGOs participated in national campaigning for promoting the community to use the latrine
• Local Government Institute played the important role and owned the programme. Sanitation coverage increased 87% in rural areas and 90% in urban areas against 28% and 53% in 2003.

CHALLENGES

• Lack of safe water aquifer in some parts of the country.
• Shallow ground water suffers contamination from arsenic, iron, microbes and salinity.
• Deep ground in the coastal belt contains excessive salinity in some cases.
• Lowering of water table.
• Arsenic removal and sludge treatment
• Poor and landless people have not enough space to construct latrine.
• Pit latrine is not suitable for high water table and densely populated area.
• Private sector investment is low.
• Densely populated area needs costly sewer system.
• Assistance from donor for urban sanitation is low and
• Lack of adequate funding

WAY FORWARD

• Continued political commitment;
• Achieve 100% sanitation by 2010;
• Address the issue of Urban Sanitation Challenges;
• Promote Ecological Sanitation and
• Reach all hardcore poor.
• Switch on to piped water scheme in rural areas from the point source;
• Continued R & D activities for alternative and appropriate technologies for safe

water supply putting emphasis on arsenic prone areas;
• Increase collaborative effort among the stakeholders;
• Increase investment in UWS;
• Ensure water quality

FUTURE INTERVENTIONS for Achieving MDG

DPHE :

• Rural Water Supply in South-Western Part of Bangladesh – Approved
• Special Rural Water Supply Project (2.62 lakh WP)
• National Sanitation Project (2nd Phase) – Approved
• 37-District Towns Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage Project
• Water Supply and Sanitation through Pipe Line and Environmental Sanitation in Paurasavas of Thana HQs and Growth Centres Project (2nd Phase)
• Cyclone Prone and SIDR Affected Coastal Belt Water Supply and Sanitation Project
• Water Supply and Sanitation through Pipe Line in Upazila sadar Project (1st Phase 50 Upazila HQs)
• Integrated Sanitation development in District Town Pourasavas Project (1st Phase)
• Establishment of Water Testing Facilities at 9 districts and Monitoring of Water Quality
• Establishment of “National Water Supply and Sanitation Information Centre (NAWASIC)” in DPHE.
• Safe Water Source Investigation, Monitoring and Observation
• Throughout the Country Project
• Feasibility Study and Project Preparation Study Project for the establishment of Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation Facilities in Char and Haor Areas