Country background
- Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and frequently suffers from devastating floods, cyclones, storm surges, tornados, riverbank erosions and droughts.
- Groundwater, the most significant source of drinking water, is naturally contaminated with arsenic which reduces safe water availability.
- Dr. Kamal Kar pioneered Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in 2000 in a small village in the Rajshahi District.
- The first South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-I) was held in Dhaka in October 2003. SACOSAN-I gave the Government of Bangladesh tremendous momentum to boost the efforts and commitment to the sector.
Policies and strategies
- In 1998, the Government of Bangladesh adopted a comprehensive National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (NWSS Policy) to achieve that all people have access to safe water and sanitation services at an affordable cost. Ensuring the installation of one sanitary latrine in each household in the rural areas and improving public health standard through inculcating the habit of proper use of sanitary latrines is mentioned as one of the objectives.
- The National Water Policy, promulgated in 1999, provides policy direction for the entire water sector. The goal of the National Water Policy is to address issues related to the harnessing and development of all forms of surface water and groundwater and management of these resources in an efficient and equitable manner. Other related policies such as the National Arsenic Mitigation Policy and the Pro-poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation were enacted in 2005.
- In line with the National Water Policy, the National Water Resources Council approved the National Water Management Plan (NWMP) in 2004. The NWMP has been prepared envisaging, inter alia, access to appropriate sanitation to all by 2010 and has also made a provision for household waterborne sanitation and storm water drainage in major cities.
- A national sanitation programme has been launched in 2003 and a Country Strategy Paper for Community Led Total Sanitation has been developed for coordinated efforts from the stakeholders.
- The National Sanitation Strategy was approved in 2005 to delineate the ways and means of achieving 100% sanitation for all by 2010 through providing a uniform guideline. Recognizing the challenges faced by the sector, the government has revised its national sanitation target of achieving full coverage by the year 2013.
- The 2005 National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction, popularly known as Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), and the revised PRSP-ll for 2009-2011 underscore the special needs for the water supply and sanitation sector. The PRSP therefore creates a legal and administrative basis for the government to mobilize and spend resources for the sector.
Institutions
- The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) is Bangladesh’s apex body for development and management of the whole water resources of the country. It formulates policies, plans, strategies, guidelines, instructions and acts, rules, regulations, etc. relating to the development and management of water resources, and regulation and control of the institutions reporting to it.
- The National Water Resources Council (NWRC) coordinates all water resources management activities in the country, and particularly provides main policy guidelines and directions for optimal development and utilization of water resources.
- The Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO), an institution under the Ministry of Water Resources, is a key organization of the government dealing with nationwide water resources planning and management, such as updating the National Water Management Plan.
- The statutory responsibility for the sanitation sector is vested in the Local Government Division under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRDC), which shares with the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) the tasks of policy decisions, sectoral allocation and funding, as well as project appraisals, approval, evaluation and monitoring.
- The Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) under the MoLGRDC is responsible for providing water and sanitation services in rural and urban areas. Only in the cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, water and sewerage (Dhaka only) are handled by Water Supply and Sewerage Authorities (WASAs).
- A National Sanitation Secretariat has been established to follow up on the progress of the 100% coverage policy.
