bangladesh sanitation policy and planning …...scenarios for sanitation services and operations for...

Bangladesh Sanitation Policy and Planning Framework Case Study for Discussion

Sanitation Policy Case Study for Discussion Bangladesh

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Contents

Figures ....................................................................................................................................................................... iii

Tables ......................................................................................................................................................................... iii

Boxes ......................................................................................................................................................................... iii

Acronyms and abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................... iv

About the case studies ...............................................................................................................................................1

Executive summary of the Bangladesh case study .....................................................................................................3

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................5

1.1. The evolution of sanitation in Bangladesh ......................................................................................................5

2. Government administrative structures at the local level in Bangladesh ...............................................................5

2.1. Local institutional responsibilities ...................................................................................................................5

3. National institutional arrangements for sanitation in Bangladesh ........................................................................7

3.1. National institutional responsibilities ..............................................................................................................7

3.2. National institutional coordination .................................................................................................................7

4. Policy and planning frameworks for sanitation ................................................................................................... 10

4.1. Constitution .................................................................................................................................................. 10

4.2. National development plans ........................................................................................................................ 10

4.3. Laws .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

4.4. Policies .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

4.5. Plans and strategies ...................................................................................................................................... 14

4.6. Regulations and standards ........................................................................................................................... 19

5. Financing in policy and planning frameworks ..................................................................................................... 22

6. Monitoring in policy and planning frameworks .................................................................................................. 24

7. Looking ahead ...................................................................................................................................................... 25

References ............................................................................................................................................................... 26

ANNEXES .................................................................................................................................................................. 29

Annex I. Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 29

Annex II. Defining sanitation in policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh ............................................... 30


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Figures

Figure 1. Overview of elements policy and planning frameworks .............................................................................1

Figure 2. Overview of the relationship between sanitation policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh

(author’s interpretation) ............................................................................................................................................4

Figure 3. Government administrative structure at the local level in Bangladesh (Country consultation 2018)........6

Figure 4. Institutional arrangements and primary responsibilities for sanitation in Bangladesh (Country

consultation 2018) ......................................................................................................................................................9

Figure 5. Sanitation service chain ............................................................................................................................ 20

Tables

Table 1. Thematic groups identified for WASH sector development in Bangladesh (adapted from GoB 2011c, with

updates Country consultation 2018) ..........................................................................................................................7

Table 2. Sanitation objectives from the National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (GOB 1998, p.4-5).

................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Table 3. Sanitation coverage standards as established in the SDP (based on GoB 2011c, p. 22) ........................... 15

Table 4. Scenarios for sanitation services and operations for sector investment planning (Based on GoB 2011a,

p.142- 143) .............................................................................................................................................................. 23

Table 5. Key sanitation indicators from the Sector Development Plan (Based on Table 7.1 in SDP, p.154) .......... 24

Boxes

Box 1: WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health .....................................................................................................2

Box 2: Clause 15 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh ....................................................... 10

Box 3: The 1995 Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act definition of pollution ............................................. 12

Box 4: The role of women in the National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (GoB, 1998).................... 14

Box 5: National Sanitation Strategy 2005 definition of basic minimum level of service and hygienic latrine (GoB

2005a) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Box 6: The five existing plans that are captured by the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (2014)

................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

Box 7: Three themes and seventeen strategies in the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (2014) 17

Box 8: The six indicators to identify HtR areas in Bangladesh................................................................................. 19

Box 9: Institutional responsibilities as established in the IRF-FSM ......................................................................... 21

Box 10: Indicators for toilets and urinals from the National Standards for WASH for Schools in Bangladesh (GoB

2011a) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 21

Box 11: Sanitation Technologies covered in the National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation

(GoB 2012c, p.11) .................................................................................................................................................... 22


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Acronyms and abbreviations

ASPG Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines DPHE Department of Public Health Engineering FSM Faecal sludge management GLAAS UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water GoB Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh HCF Health care facilities HtR Hard to reach IRF Institutional and regulatory framework JMP Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene. JSR Joint sector review LGD Local Government Division LGIs Local Government Institutions MDG Millennium Development Goals MoE Ministry of Education MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change MoHFW Ministry of Health and Family Welfare MoLGRDC Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Corporations MoPME Ministry of Primary and Mass Education NFWSS National Forum for Water Supply and Sanitation NSS Non-sewered sanitation ODF Open defecation free PSU Policy Support Unit SDG Sustainable Development Goals SDP Sector Development Plan UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund WASA Water Supply and Sewerage Authority WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WATSAN Water and sanitation WHO World Health Organization


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About the case studies

Globally, access to sanitation has fallen behind access to drinking-water. In the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era, the target for drinking-water was met five years ahead of schedule. In contrast, the target for access to basic sanitation was not achieved, despite 2.1 billion people having gained access to improved sanitation during that time (United Nations 2018). Today, as countries work to achieve their own national targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is increased demand for guidance on how best to establish a supportive enabling environment for sanitation through strong policies, plans and legal frameworks that will support and accelerate progress towards the SDG 6 targets on sanitation. Considering this demand, the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) has conducted case studies on sanitation policy and planning frameworks in the following seven countries: Bangladesh, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. The objective of the case studies is to present evidence on the scope and content of sanitation frameworks, and specifically, to understand how and to what extent elements of SDG 6 and the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health (Box 1) align with the frameworks. To do so, the case studies review existing sanitation policy and planning frameworks, presenting information on institutional arrangements, national development plans, laws, regulations and strategies, policies, plans and the inclusion of monitoring and financing in these policy and planning frameworks (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Overview of elements policy and planning frameworks

Key findings from the case studies have been incorporated into the GLAAS 2019 report, which is thematically focused on national policies, plans and targets for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). With this lens, the GLAAS 2019 report summarizes findings on WASH systems from 115 countries including aspects related to governance, monitoring, human resources and financing to the WASH sector.

Constitution

Laws

Policies

National Development Plans

Plans

Reg

ula

tion

s/Sta

nd

ard

s

Long-term (e.g. Visions)

Medium- and short-term (e.g. periodic plans)

Sector development plans

Inst

itu

tio

na

l A

rra

ng

em

en

ts

Sanitation plans

Sanitation policies WASH and other policies

Policy and planning frameworks

WASH and other plans

Support and

enact

measures

established by

frameworks

Regulate

activities

established in

frameworks

Lay the

foundation

for required

regulations

and

regulators

Establish

roles and

mandates


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The case studies are a source of evidence for the development of the Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG). The African Ministers’ Council on Water is leading the development of the ASPG with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) through GLAAS and the Center for Water Security and Cooperation. The objective of the ASPG is to provide guidance to policy-makers and those supporting the policy-making process in Africa on how to develop effective sanitation policies and what should be included in effective sanitation policies. To develop the ASPG, AMCOW has convened a task force comprised of sanitation and policy experts.

In addition to providing evidence to support the development of the ASPG, GLAAS is developing a policy assessment tool to track and assess the content of sanitation policies. The policy assessment tool will cover a number of key criteria that effective sanitation policies should include. To develop the key criteria, WHO will consult members of the ASPG task force as well as a broader range of stakeholders, including policy-makers and development partners in the seven case study countries. The policy assessment tool will incorporate elements of the ASPG and the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health and can be used to monitor implementation of the ASPG and aspects of the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. The first iteration of the policy assessment tool is expected in 2020 and will be piloted in the seven case study countries with a plan to eventually scale up the tool globally.

This report presents the case study on sanitation policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh. A schematic overview of the documents reviewed for this report is presented in Figure 2 and can be used as a reference point throughout the report. For the purposes of this case study, sanitation is defined as the safe management of human excreta and does not include wider environmental sanitation. Given this definition, this report does not present findings on frameworks related to solid waste management although Bangladesh includes solid waste management in its sanitation sector policies and strategies. In order to narrow the scope, this report presents findings from these frameworks through the lens of the SDG 6 and WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, specifically focusing on types of sanitation services included in the frameworks, and how the frameworks address vulnerable populations, institutional WASH and public participation.

Box 1: WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health

In October 2018, WHO released the first-ever Guidelines on Sanitation and Health.1 The guidelines were developed because sanitation programmes have not been achieving anticipated health gains and there was a lack of authoritative health-based guidance on sanitation. They set out four principal recommendations:

1. Sanitation interventions should ensure entire communities have access to toilets that safely contain excreta.

2. The full sanitation system should undergo local health risk assessments to protect individuals and communities from exposure to excreta – whether this be from unsafe toilets, leaking storage or inadequate treatment.

3. Sanitation should be integrated into regular local government-led planning and service provision to avert the higher costs associated with retrofitting sanitation and to ensure sustainability.

4. The health sector should invest more and play a coordinating role in sanitation planning to protect public health.

The guidelines are intended for use by national and local authorities responsible for the safety of sanitation systems and services including policy-makers, planners, implementers and those responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of standards and regulations, including health authorities. The WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health will also support and strengthen the development of the ASPG.

1 WHO (2018) WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. World Health Organization, Geneva. Available at:

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/sanitation-waste/sanitation/sanitation-guidelines/en/ [Accessed 25 May 2019].

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/sanitation-waste/sanitation/sanitation-guidelines/en/


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Executive summary of the Bangladesh case study

This report presents a case study on Bangladesh and findings on the policy and planning frameworks that guide sanitation in the country. Since the country’s independence in 1971, Bangladesh has made significant progress in access to sanitation for all. Between 2000 and 2015 Bangladesh worked to become open defecation free (ODF). A number of iterations of policy and planning frameworks, alongside political will of the government and synergy between sector actors, have enabled such progress. The primary policy relating to sanitation in the country is the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation. The broad scope of its contents allowed the policy to remain relevant and effective through the MDGs to the SDGs. Today, the 1998 National Policy lends itself to address the new challenges of the SDGs and faecal sludge management (FSM), which is often referred to as the ‘second generation’ sanitation issue. The primary plan that supports and actualizes the 1998 policy is the 2014 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation. The strategy includes a considerable emphasis on issues such as vulnerable groups, hard to reach (HtR) areas and affordability because it is a compilation of five earlier plans focused on these issues. To better align with SDG 6, the 2014 strategy is currently undergoing revisions that are expected to be approved by early 2019. These strategies are further supported by the overarching Sector Development Plan for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh (2011-2025) (SDP), which establishes needs and the way forward for policy and planning frameworks during the planning period. Several additional policy and planning frameworks that support the enabling environment for sanitation in Bangladesh are presented in this report. These frameworks are supported by the governmental and institutional arrangements that enact the content of the policies and plans. In Bangladesh, the responsibility for sanitation service delivery primarily lies with the Local Government Division (LGD) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRDC) and is enacted through local government institutions (LGIs). At the national level, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives leads the work on sanitation, including the policy and planning environment. Looking ahead, as Bangladesh works to address second generation sanitation issues, there are several ongoing processes to strengthen and improve the policy and planning frameworks surrounding sanitation. In 2018, the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (GoB) approved the Delta Plan 2100, which aims to implement adaptive strategies and strengthen governance across the broader water sector over the long-term. FSM is becoming a new priority in the sector. As such, the Institutional and Regulatory Framework for FSM has been established. Several activities are ongoing to further address the SDGs. For instance, standards for WASH in health care facilities are being established. Bangladesh is also working to establish new national targets for sanitation that are both contextually appropriate and aligned to SDG 6.


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Figure 2. Overview of the relationship between sanitation policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh (author’s interpretation)

Monitoring 2018 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the SDGs in Bangladesh

Constitution

Laws

1972 Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Sanitation Policies

National Development Plans 2015

7th five-year plan 2016-2020

1995 Bangladesh Environment

Conservation Act

1996 Water Supply and Sewerage

Authority Act

2009 Local Government

Acts

2012 The Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2010-2021: Making Vision 2021 a Reality

2011 National Health Policy

Sanitation Plans and Strategies

Financial Plans

2011 Sector Development Plan (2011-2025)

2014 Bangladesh Water Supply and

Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill

2014 National Strategy for

Water Supply and Sanitation

Regulation/Standard

2011 National Standards for Water,

Sanitation and Hygiene for Schools in Bangladesh

2005 Pro Poor Strategy

for Water and Sanitation Sector

in Bangladesh

2012 National Hygiene

Promotion Strategy for Water Supply and

Sanitation in Bangladesh

2012 National Cost Sharing

Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation

in Bangladesh

2011 National Strategy for Water and Sanitation

in Hard to Reach Areas

(old) 2005 National Sanitation Strategy

2017 Institutional and regulatory framework for Fecal sludge

management

1997 Environment Conservation

Rules

1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation

2018 Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100

2018 Bangladesh Water Rules


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1. Introduction

1.1. The evolution of sanitation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been working towards eliminating open defecation since before its independence in 1971. The Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) began some of its first sanitation and latrine projects in the mid-1960s, a time when latrine coverage was estimated to be less than 1% (Al-Muyeed 2015). Since then, Bangladesh has made substantial progress in improving sanitation coverage across the country. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), in 2000, approximately 18% of the population was practicing open defecation (JMP 2017). As of 2018, the country had nearly ended open defecation. The significant accomplishments of improving sanitation are largely attributed to the leadership of the GoB and initiatives such as Community-Led Total Sanitation2, which was developed and launched in Bangladesh in the early 2000s (CRI 2017). The first national sanitation-related policy in Bangladesh was the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation. The policy guided the sector throughout the MDG-era, under which Bangladesh declared itself an open defecation free (ODF) country. In the SDG-era, Bangladesh is facing the ‘second generation’ sanitation challenge of FSM. Despite the new challenges, the same policy continues to guide the sector. However, there are a number of ongoing efforts to streamline the old and to develop new policy and planning frameworks that strengthen the sanitation sector and enable new national targets to be met, aligning with SDG 6. These policy and planning frameworks will be discussed throughout this report.

2. Government administrative structures at the local level in Bangladesh

2.1. Local institutional responsibilities

In Bangladesh, local governments bear the responsibility for managing sanitation, including drainage and waste, but structures vary between rural and urban areas. Figure 3 presents a diagram of government administrative structures in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is divided into eight divisions that have limited political or administrative power. Local governance below these divisions differs between rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Rural local governments are divided into zila parishads, upzila parishads and union parishads, the latter of which are the smallest administrative unit. In the rural areas, the coordination of sanitation service provision is the responsibility of the LGIs in the Zila Parishads, Upazila Parishads, and Union Parishads. As the smallest administrative unit, union parishads are responsible for FSM services. Each union parishad is divided into nine wards, with water and sanitation (WATSAN) committees participating in village-level decision-making for WASH. According to a GoB Circular from 2007, Union-level WATSAN committees are responsible for a range of WASH activities including supporting and participating in DPHE activities for awareness raising, coordinating the activities of different stakeholders in the WASH sector, implementing WASH projects, and participating in data collection activities for WASH sector (IRF-FSM 2017, p.5). Urban local government is divided into paurashavas (urban municipalities) and city corporations. In urban settings, both paurashavas and city corporations are responsible for the coordination of sanitation service delivery. Both paurashavas and city corporations are responsible for FSM services and its management. In four City Corporations, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi Water Supply and Sewerage Authorities (WASAs) are responsible for water supply and sewerage treatment.

2 More about CLTS is available at: http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/page/clts-approach

http://www.communityledtotalsanitation.org/page/clts-approach


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National

Figure 3. Government administrative structure at the local level in Bangladesh (Country consultation 2018)

Divisions

Districts

Sub-districts

Smallest administrative unit

8 Divisions Divisional commissioners

National Government of Bangladesh

Rural area local government Urban area local government

Zila Parishad (64 total)

Upzila Parishad (over 480)

Union Parishad (over 4500)

City Corporation (11 total)

Paurashava/ Municipality (Over 329)

WATSAN Committees

WASAs (4 total)

Wards (9 per union)

Government Ministries (See Figure 4)


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3. National institutional arrangements for sanitation in Bangladesh

3.1. National institutional responsibilities

At the national level, the Local Government Division (LGD) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRDC) is the agency with the primary responsibility for sanitation in Bangladesh. DPHE, the national agency for water sanitation and hygiene initiatives, functions under the MoLGRDC. DPHE is active in both urban (except in the four WASA areas) and rural areas, providing both hardware (e.g., pit-latrines and shared latrines) and software (e.g., social mobilization and hygiene behavior training). DPHE works closely with the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) to equip all primary schools with gender-segregated WASH-block latrines by 2022. MoPME is also implementing programmes to address WASH needs of the students. WASH in secondary schools is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education (MoE) plays a role in ensuring gender-segregated improved sanitation facilities in secondary schools. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has some responsibility for hygiene promotion, which in Bangladesh is closely linked and includes many aspects of sanitation (see 4.5. Plans and strategies). The MoHFW is also responsible for managing WASH in health care facilities (HCF). Figure 4 presents additional institutions with responsibilities for sanitation activities.

3.2. National institutional coordination

There are several coordination mechanisms for sanitation, which is often included in the coordination of the larger WASH sector. The National Forum for Water Supply and Sanitation (NFWSS), coordinated by the LGD, is the primary national-level coordination mechanism for the sanitation sector (Sector Development Plan, 2011-2025). The LGD Secretary is the chairperson of the forum, which includes members from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, local government, and private sector stakeholders. The forum organizes joint sector reviews (JSRs) (See 6. Monitoring in policy and planning frameworks). The NFWSS is also responsible for providing policy, monitoring, and technical support to the sector (GoB 2011c). To do so, the forum has established thematic working groups, to support coordinated efforts in specific areas of work. Each group includes a range of members from agencies, academia, government, NGOs and international organizations. Throughout the period of the Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) (SDP), which establishes a plan for the larger WASH sector, the thematic groups are responsible for overseeing implementation per theme and for providing technical guidance as needed for the success of the SDP (GoB 2011c). These thematic groups cover the entire WASH sector, with several groups relevant to sanitation. Table 1 presents the thematic groups and the responsible agencies for each thematic group.

Table 1. Thematic groups identified for WASH sector development in Bangladesh (adapted from GoB 2011c, with updates Country consultation 2018)

Thematic group Focal agency Contributing agencies

Water supply and sanitation

DPHE, UNICEF LGIs (i.e. Zila Parishad, Upazila Parishad, Union Parishad, Pourashava/municipalities and city corporation), DPHE, WASAs

Hygiene UNICEF Directorate of health and Directorate of primary and mass education and secondary and higher secondary education

Environmental sanitation DPHE BRAC, WaterAid

Sector reforms and institutional reforms

Policy support branch

Asian Development Bank, World Bank, DPHE, WASA, Local Government Engineering Department, Danish International Development Assistance


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Water safety plan and water quality monitoring

WHO Ministry of Environment, DPHE, Japan International Cooperation Agency

Arsenic mitigation Japan International Cooperation Agency/UNICEF

DPHE, WHO, Water and Sanitation Program, MoHFW, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources

Drinking water resource management

DPHE WASAs, Ministry of Water Resources, World Bank, Netherlands

Lagged-behind areas WaterAid Local Government Engineering Department, NGO-Forum for Public Health

Cross-cutting issues WSSCC DPHE, Water and Sanitation Program, WaterAid, NGO–Forum for Public Health, Danish International Development Assistance

Research and development International Training Network

DPHE, WASA, ITN-BUET

Monitoring and evaluation Policy Support Unit DPHE, WASA, Local Government Engineering Department

Disaster response UNICEF DPHE, Disaster Management Bureau


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Figure 4. Institutional arrangements and primary responsibilities for sanitation in Bangladesh (Country consultation 2018)

Other ministries with some sanitation-related activities:

Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and

Cooperatives Policy, Planning, Infrastructure,

Monitoring, Financing

Ministry of Water Resources

Policy, Planning, Regulation

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics

Statistics and Informatics Division

Monitoring

Local Government Division

Planning, Infrastructure, Monitoring

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Policy, Planning,

Regulation, Monitoring,

Department of Public Health Engineering

Planning, Infrastructure

Ministry of Finance

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education

Hygiene promotion, WASH in primary schools

Ministry of Planning Policy, Planning,

Monitoring

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Hygiene promotion, WASH in Health Care

Facilities

Planning Commission

General Economics Division

Monitoring (Oversight of SDGs)

Statistics and Informatics Division

Monitoring

Ministry of Industries

Ministry of Housing and Public Works

Water Supply and Sewerage

Authorities (Urban) Planning,

Infrastructure

Ministry of Education Hygiene promotion, WASH in secondary

schools


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4. Policy and planning frameworks for sanitation

This section reviews the policy and planning frameworks for sanitation in Bangladesh. In order to narrow the scope, this section presents findings through the lens of the SDG 6 and WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. Therefore, only select content is summarized. As presented in Figure 1, this section begins by summarizing the extent to which sanitation is recognized in the constitution, followed by sections on national development plans, laws, policies, plans and standards or regulations. The glossary in Annex I clarifies how these frameworks are defined and distinguished.

4.1. Constitution

The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1972) does not explicitly mention the right to sanitation. However, the GoB interprets Clause 15(a) (Box 2) that mandates the ‘provision of basic necessities of life’ as the responsibility of the State to include sanitation, thus recognizing the human right to sanitation. The human right to sanitation is also recognized in the 2005 National Sanitation Strategy (See 4.5. Plans and strategies).

Box 2: Clause 15 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

“It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its citizens- (a) the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care,” (GoB 1972)

4.2. National development plans

This section reviews the following national development plans:

▪ The Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2010 – 2021: Making Vision 2021 a Reality ▪ The 7th Five-Year Plan 2016-2020 ▪ Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100

The Perspective Plan of Bangladesh (2010-2021): Making Vision 2021 a Reality (GoB 2012a) is a cross-cutting national development plan for achieving Vision 2021. Vision 2021 sets development targets aimed at eradicating poverty and inequalities, improving standards of living, and achieving middle-income status by the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh in 2021. In regard to sanitation, the Perspective Plan lays out the following sanitation-related target under the umbrella of ‘Promoting Human Development’: “Contagious diseases will be eliminated and primary health care and sanitation will be ensured for all,” (GoB 2012a, p.77). The Perspective Plan does not define sanitation, nor does it specify what ‘ensured’ sanitation for all entails. These details are addressed specifically in the Sector Development Plan (See 4.5. Plans and strategies) The Perspective Plan also addresses sanitation in institutions. To promote and sustain health in Bangladesh, the plan states that adopting policies that support sanitation in HCF could improve public health in the long-term (GoB 2012a, p.80). However, the development of such policies are presented as a supportive activity and are not an explicit goal or target in the Perspective Plan. For schools, the plan states the following outcome: “All students enrolled in primary, secondary, and tertiary levels will have access to gender responsive health, nutrition, water and sanitation, socio-cultural development, greater participation in sports and ensuring a fruitful learning and living environment,” (GoB 2012a, p.82).


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To achieve the visions established by the Perspective Plan, Bangladesh prepares plans at five-year intervals that establish specific objectives and targets for different sub-sectors, including sanitation. The current 7th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) of Bangladesh contributes to the overarching goals of the Perspective Plan. For sanitation, the plan establishes the following targets:

• “Proportion of urban population with access to sanitary latrines to be increased to 100 percent,” and;

• “Proportion of rural population with access to sanitary latrines to be raised to 90 percent,” (GoB 2015a, p.25).

The LGD under the MoLGRDC is the lead unit responsible for these targets. The 7th Five-Year plan indicates that these targets will be achieved with the support of increased public spending in social sectors, including sanitation, by improving income taxation systems in the country. According to the plan, the DPHE has the following objectives related to sanitation: “Achieving 100% coverage of Water Supply & Sanitation services throughout the country including their safe use and effective management,” (GoB 2015a, p.495). The plan indicates that the DPHE will achieve these objectives by applying different sustainable sanitation options and upgrades along the sanitation ladder, while taking into consideration issues including poverty, gender and climate change. The framing of these objectives aligns to the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, which call for national sanitation objectives to be context-appropriate and aligned to the SDG agenda, while allowing for “incremental progress towards universal access,” (WHO 2018, p.20). In regard to WASH in schools, for secondary education the 7th Five-Year Plan establishes a qualitative goal for improved infrastructure, which includes sanitation as stated, “Build inclusive and separate latrines for girls in schools with adequate facilities for sanitary napkins and cleansing materials,” (GoB 2015a, p.539). Specific targets for WASH in schools are not included in the plan. Likewise, sanitation in HCF is not identified as a key objective. Interestingly, the MoHFW is listed as the lead/responsible ministry for the urban sanitation performance indicator which states “Percentage of urban population having access to… sanitation facilities,” (GoB 2015a, p.139). Otherwise, the role of the MoHFW in sanitation is not clearly identified. Overall, the 7th Five-Year Plan focuses on sanitation access in the context of latrine coverage, with possibilities for the incorporation of several technologies suitable to different contexts. Sanitation is discussed as an important component for the environmental sector in the context of flood resilience and an important component for the health sector for public health nutrition. In 2018, the GoB approved the Delta Plan 2100. The plan is a multisectoral, long-term plan focused on adaptive strategies for water and food safety and security in Bangladesh, which lies in one of the largest deltas in the world (GoB 2018b). The plan establishes governance and institutional arrangements, as well as short-term measures that align with the 7th Five-Year Plan, and also long-term measures that look at long-term adaptability. The plan recognizes the cross-cutting importance of WASH, which was included in a baseline study for the plan, and establishes measures to address potential issues, such as risk management plans for drought and flood-prone areas in Bangladesh.


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4.3. Laws

This section reviews the following laws:

• 2009 Local Governments Acts

• 1996 Water Supply and Sewerage authority Act

• 1995 Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act

The primary laws relating to sanitation in Bangladesh are the 2009 Local Government Acts. This package of acts assign the responsibility of sanitation (and water) to local government in Bangladesh including union parishads, paurashavas, and city corporations and coordination to a standing committee at the level of the LGIs. As mentioned in section 2, there are different types of local government in urban and rural Bangladesh and these acts establish the responsibilities for each type of local government. The acts do not define sanitation, which leaves it broadly open to interpretation (See 4.5. Plans and strategies). According to the acts, the local government “shall” provide and maintain public latrines and bears the responsibility for managing waste from said latrine (GoB 2009). The acts also give the local government the power to punish anybody or bodies for “Failure to provide, close, remove, alter, repair, clean, disinfect or put in proper order any latrine, urinal, drain, cess-pool or other receptacle for filth, sewerage, water or refuse when so required by the municipality,” (GoB 2009, p. 6779). From this, sanitation can be interpreted to mean access to latrines. There is also a provision to form thirteen different standing committees on the local level, of which one is the Standing Committee for Sanitation, Water Supply and Sewerage with responsibility for ensuring services to the community related to sanitation, water supply and sewerage. Another key law for sanitation is the 1996 Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Act. Although WASAs were active in urban areas prior to independence, the WASA Act formally established WASAs as autonomous public utilities with the responsibility for water supply and sewage disposal in major urban centers (DWASA 2018). The 1995 Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act does not directly address sanitation or faecal sludge. However, the Act does frame water pollution (Box 3) in a manner that relates to sanitation with a definition that considers faecal contamination as a pollutant harmful to public health. With the 2010 amendment, the act mandates the proper management of waste, which includes sludge in accordance to the definition of waste in the law. The act gives the national Government the power to formulate guidelines for environmental pollution and determine water standards. The Director General of the Department of Environment, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is given the power to appoint authorized persons to collect samples and has the power to inflict penalties on any violations.

Box 3: The 1995 Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act definition of pollution

“The contamination or alteration of the physical, chemical or biological properties of air, water or soil, including change in their temperature, taste, odor, density, or any other characteristics, or such other activity which, by way of discharging any liquid, gaseous, solid, radioactive or other substances into air, water or soil or any component of the environment, destroys or causes injury or harm to public health or to domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational or other useful activity, or which by such discharge destroys or causes injury or harm to air, water, soil, livestock, wild animal, bird, fish, plant or other forms of life,” (GoB 1995).


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Overall, the acts presented in this section lay the foundation for the sanitation sector in Bangladesh. The acts are integral for mandating responsibilities for sanitation and establishing a legislative basis for pollution of the environment that touches upon the activities of the sanitation sector in Bangladesh.

4.4. Policies

This section reviews the following policies:

▪ 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation ▪ 2011 National Health Policy

The 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation is the primary policy for the sanitation (and water) sector in Bangladesh. In the national policy, sanitation is defined as human excreta and sludge disposal, drainage and solid waste management and sanitation coverage is considered one sanitary latrine per household (GoB 1998). The policy states that the government’s goal is “to ensure that all people have access to safe water and sanitation services at an affordable cost,” (GoB 1998, p.1). Based on this goal, Table 2 presents the objectives and associated targets on sanitation presented in the 1998 policy. Notably, the objectives identify the need to address behavior change, which the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health recognize as a key component for effective sanitation interventions (WHO 2018). As may be expected in a policy, the targets are relatively unspecific, without defined and measurable indicators. However, the targets do address the need to install public latrines and latrines in schools, which are also recommended in the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health (WHO 2018).

Table 2. Sanitation objectives from the National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (GOB 1998, p.4-5).

Overarching Objectives Targets

▪ Facilitating access of all citizens to basic level of services in water supply and sanitation;

▪ Bringing about behavioral changes regarding use of water and sanitation;

▪ Building capacity in local governments and communities to be effectively with problems relating to water supply and sanitation;

▪ Promoting sustainable water and sanitation services

▪ 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.

▪ Ensuring sanitary latrine within easy access of every urban household through technology options ranging from pit latrines to water borne sewerage.

▪ Installing public latrines in schools, bus stations and important public places and community latrines in densely populated poor communities without sufficient space for individual household latrines.

▪ Taking measures in urban areas for removal of solid and liquid waste and their use in various purposes. Ensuring the use of waste for the production of organic fertilizer (compost) in the rural areas.

The National Policy includes elements such as sustainable services, public participation in communities, and the installation of public latrines in schools. Several policy principles are outlined, including the value of water, participation of users, including the role of women (Box 4), environmental integrity, integrated development and holistic approaches (GoB 1998, p.7-8). The policy also indicates that affordability measures should be included, even including affordability in the overall government goal mentioned above. While the policy does not specify the types of measures to be undertaken, it does mention the use of subsidies (GoB 1998, p.10). The Policy does


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not address emerging issues such as FSM, but the policy itself is formulated broadly enough for emerging issues to be integrated in sector plans.

Box 4: The role of women in the National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (GoB, 1998)

The 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation includes two principles that specifically address the role of women in sanitation:

• Rural Sanitation: “8.2.5. Women shall be encouraged and supported to actively participate in decision making during planning, implementation, operation and maintenance,” (p.10);

• Urban Sanitation: “8.4.4. The role of women in the process of planning, decision making and management shall be promoted through their increased representation in management committees/boards (paurashava/WASA),” (p.12).

The WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health emphasize the need for health sector policies to recognize sanitation as a source for prevention and to enable coordinated efforts into health and sanitation programming (WHO 2018). In a review of the 2011 National Health Policy from the MoHFW, the policy identifies five major health concerns, one of which is environmental sanitation. Within environmental sanitation, the Policy recognizes the complexities of the issues and the twin issues to be addressed as (1) lack of safe drinking-water and (2) preventative measures for disposal of excreta (GoB 2011b). Overall, the sanitation sector in Bangladesh deems the 1998 National Policy as adequate and flexible enough to use as an overarching planning and target-setting tool for the sanitation sector. Modifications to the policy are not expected. Instead, the sector relies on plans to outline implementation strategies and incorporate emerging issues. The government’s policy priorities for sanitation focus on FSM, public toilets, improved service coverage and service level, and sanitation in schools (CRI 2017). With the success of ODF in Bangladesh, there has been a major shift by government and partner organizations to focus efforts on FSM. This shift is seen in the plans and regulatory measures presented in section 4.5 and 4.6.

4.5. Plans and strategies3

This section reviews the following plans:

• 2011 Sector Development Plan (2011-2025)

• 2014 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation

• 2005 Pro Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh

• 2011 National Strategy for Water and Sanitation in Hard to Reach Areas

• 2012 National Hygiene Promotion Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh

Historically, the 2005 National Sanitation Strategy was developed in the era of the MDGs to address the key sector issues, to define roles for various actors, and to establish an enabling environment and conditions for succeeding in sector-wide objectives (GoB 2005a). Although the 2005 National Sanitation Strategy has been replaced by the 2014 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation, it is still a reference document for the sector. For example, the definitions and minimum level of service established in 2005 still guide the sector objectives. The basic

3 Note: ‘Plans’ and ‘strategies’ are used interchangeably


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minimum level of service was largely achieved during the MDG era, where nearly all households gained access to latrines (usually shared) and open defecation was estimated to less than 1% (WHO/UNICEF 2018).

Box 5: National Sanitation Strategy 2005 definition of basic minimum level of service and hygienic latrine (GoB 2005a)

Basic minimum level of service: “Every member of the household should have access to a safe hygienic latrine – either a separate household latrine, shared latrine subject to use by maximum of two households or a community latrine,” (GoB 2005a, p.10) Hygienic latrine: “A sanitation facility the use of which effectively breaks the cycle of disease transmission. A hygienic latrine would mean to include all of the following:

• Confinement of feces away from environment;

• Sealing of the passage between the squat hole and the pit to effectively block the pathway for flies and other insect vectors thereby breaking the cycle of disease transmission; and

• Venting out of foul gases generated in the pit through a properly positioned vent pipe to keep the latrine odor free and encourage continual use of the hygienic latrine,” (GoB 2005a, p.8)

Today, the Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) (SDP) is the strategic planning document guiding the entire WASH sector in Bangladesh. The document provides a framework for planning, implementing, monitoring, and financing the sector and all sector activities, including short-, medium- and long-term plans in five-year increments until 2025 for water, sanitation and hygiene activities. Sanitation, according to the SDP, includes human excreta disposal, drainage and solid waste management, and hygiene promotion (GoB 2011c, p.11). Three standards of progress are used for assessing sanitation coverage in the SDP (Table 3).

Table 3. Sanitation coverage standards as established in the SDP (based on GoB 2011c, p. 22)

Standards Target Definition

Bangladesh basic standard

The following sanitation facilities would be provided to achieve, at least, the government’s target of sanitation for all by 2013

Individual or shared latrines of the following types: - Flush and pour-flush toilet/latrines to piped sewered - Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap - Pit latrines with slab but no water seal, lid or flap - Ventilated improved pit latrines - Composting latrines

Bangladesh improved standard

The following sanitation facilities should be provided in accordance with the standard set in the National Sanitation Strategy 2005

Individual or shared hygienic latrines shared by maximum of two households of the following types: - Flush and pour-toilet/latrines to piped sewer system or septic

tank - Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap - Ventilated improved pit latrines - Composting latrines

JMP standard

These standards were provided to achieve, at least, the targets of the MDG using the JMP sanitation definitions

Individual latrines of the following types: - Flush and pour-flush toilet/latrines to piped sewer system or

septic tank - Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap - Pit latrines with slab but no water seal, lid or flap - Ventilated improved pit latrines


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- Composting latrines

The primary differences between the standards in Table 3 is related to shared latrines. The basic standard allows for shared latrines between more than two households and includes pit latrines with a slab, but without a seal, while the improved standard limits the shared latrines to no more than two households and includes only improved latrines. The improved standard and the JMP standard allow for the same types of latrines, but the JMP standard does not allow for households to share latrines. Sanitation coverage in the SDP is measured through the 2009 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which allows these different standards to be distinguished as the baseline coverage measures for the sector. Through the standards presented in Table 3, the SDP outlines short-, medium-, and long-term objectives. In the short-term, including financial years 2011-2015, the SDP calls for at least basic standard sanitation services to all, especially to the poor and vulnerable groups. In the medium-term, including financial years 2016-2020, the SDP aims for improved standard sanitation services. In the long-term, including financial years 2021-2025, the SDP establishes that standards for sanitation services should be further improved. Specific strategies to achieve these short, medium and long-term objectives in sanitation are presented through the lens of eleven thematic areas of which five are specific to the water sector, one is specific to the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh and the remaining five are cross-cutting and related to sanitation. The cross-cutting thematic areas include hygiene promotion; vulnerable groups; public-private partnerships; environment, climate change and disaster management; and research and development (GoB 2011c, p.42). Vulnerable groups are recognized as particularly important to reach if WASH coverage targets are to be achieved. The SDP establishes that vulnerable groups include women, children, persons with disability/differently able people, indigenous communities, disadvantaged and extremely poor persons, and floating populations (GoB 2011c, p.74). The role of women is further emphasized as central at the household level, especially in regard to water management and hygiene education. The SDP reverts to the role of women as specified in the 1998 National Policy and the Pro-Poor Strategy for the Water and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh (see the Pro-Poor Strategy in this section). The SDP identifies the legal frameworks driving the WASH sector and identifies a new sector development framework. The SDP recommends that all existing plans and strategies be streamlined into two specific strategies – one for urban subsector and one for the rural subsector. With this recommendation in mind, one National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation was developed in 2014 and is presented below. The SDP also points to the need for specific strategies for hygiene promotion and HtR areas, which were also developed and are presented below. The monitoring framework in the SDP is presented in section 6. The SDP also outlines a Sector Investment Plan, which is presented in section 5 of this report. As mentioned, the 2014 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation was developed to streamline five existing strategies in the sector and to incorporate any outstanding or emerging issues (GoB 2014b, p.2). While the other strategies are still used and consulted for the specific sub-sectors, the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation is the main strategy and the one that should be followed should there be any contradictions. Starting from 2014, the Strategy has been reviewed annually and will be revised every five years (GoB 2014b, p.4). Box 6 presents the list of the other plans that are captured by the 2014 National Strategy. These strategies are presented in detail further below in this section and in section 5 of this report.


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Box 6: The five existing plans that are captured by the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (2014)

• 2005 National Sanitation Strategy

• 2005 Pro-Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector

• 2011 National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh

• 2012 National Hygiene Promotion Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh • 2012 National Strategy for Hard to Reach Areas and People of Bangladesh

The 2014 National Strategy is based on guiding principles that regard water supply and sanitation as human rights; emphasize participatory and inclusive approach for all stages of WASH service delivery programs; recognize gender in sector activities; and ensure equity in services including hard-to-reach areas and vulnerable groups (GoB 2014b, p.4). The National Strategy is divided into seventeen strategies that fall under three major themes: WASH interventions, emerging challenges, and sector governance (Box 7). In Box 7, strategy 4 and strategy 5 are specific to sanitation. The definitions for sanitation and hygienic latrines are along the same lines as the definitions found in the 2005 Sanitation Strategy and the SDP. Annex II presents a direct comparison of the definitions used in these frameworks.

Strategy 4: Move ahead on the sanitation ladder is identified as relating to making gradual progress towards improved sanitation facilities for onsite sanitation technologies. Strategy 4 outlines plans to develop sets of sanitation technologies, ranging from basic hygienic latrines to water borne sewerage systems based on contextual situations (GoB 2014b, p.9), that give communities a choice of technologies in programming activities. In this sense, the strategy reflects the good practice actions established by the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, which state “Officially recognize that safe sanitation systems can be delivered through a mix of technologies, implemented through approaches tailored to the local context and based on sound risk assessment,” (WHO 2018, p. 20). Strategy 5: Establish faecal sludge management is identified as relating to both on-site and off-site sanitation and management of faecal sludge along the sanitation service chain, in both urban and rural settings of Bangladesh. Strategy 5 recognizes safe management from collection, transportation, treatment, and safe disposal of faecal sludge including in-situ composting, This strategy is supported by the Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Faecal Sludge Management, which was developed in line with the 2014 National Strategy. In regard to priorities, it is important to note that Strategy 11, on urbanization, indicates that all

Box 7: Three themes and seventeen strategies in the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (2014)

WASH interventions 1. Ensure safe drinking-water 2. Give priority to arsenic mitigation 3. Undertake specific approaches for HtR areas and

vulnerable people 4. Move ahead on the sanitation ladder 5. Establish FSM 6. Manage solid waste judiciously 7. Improve hygiene promotion 8. Mainstream gender 9. Facilitate private sector participation

Emerging Challenges 10. Adopt integrated water resource management 11. Address growing pace of urbanization 12. Cope with disaster, adapt to climate change and

safeguard environment 13. Institutionalize research and development

Sector Governance 14. Undertake integrated and accountable

development approach 15. Recover cost of services while keeping a safety

net for the poor 16. Strengthen and reposition institutions 17. Enhance coordination and monitoring


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urban areas should work towards sanitary sewerage and drainage systems, but that appropriate on-site sanitation technologies should be used until sewerage systems can be built (GoB 2014b, p. 13). The 2014 National Strategy also includes significant focus on vulnerable groups. Strategy 3 specifies approaches for HtR areas and vulnerable people, which includes the need for adopting different approaches and considering new technologies. More on these topics are specified in the Pro-Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector 2005 and the National Strategy for Hard to Reach Areas and People of Bangladesh 2012, which are also presented in this report. The importance of gender-sensitive approaches are also recognized throughout the 2014 National Strategy. For instance, strategy 7 on hygiene promotion emphasizes menstrual health and hygiene management. Strategy 8 is specific to gender and includes plans to increase women’s representation in community-based organizations, such as WATSAN committees, and to ensure equal participation of men and women in projects. While the strategy does not indicate how to improve the quality of women’s participation, it does indicate that gender guidelines will be developed, led by the PSU, to accomplish these plans (GoB 2014b, p.21). In regard to the role of the health and education sector, the 2014 National Strategy identifies the MoHFW as a partner in hygiene promotion (i.e., strategy 7) (GoB 2014b, p.21). Likewise, strategy 14 and strategy 17, emphasize plans for WASH in Schools and the establishment of intra-ministry coordination with the MoHFW and MoPME (GoB 2014b, p.15; p. 17). In June 2018, the LGD passed an Office Order to revise the 2014 Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation to better align with SDG 6 (Country Consultation 2018). The revision has been carried out and expected to be approved by end of 2019. The Pro Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector (2005) in Bangladesh was developed to directly combat the issue of poverty and inequity in Bangladesh and to establish a ‘safety-net’ for hardcore poor, as is outlined in the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation. The Strategy aims to identify all hardcore4 poor household whose basic minimum need for sanitation is unmet and to meet their needs through resource allocation (GoB 2005b, p.2). As such, the strategy defines a set of criteria for identifying hardcore poor households (Annex II) and also establishes the basic minimum service level. The basic minimum level of service is the same as the 2005 National Sanitation Strategy and requires one ‘hygienic latrine’ per household, or else shared community latrines with no more than ten persons per latrine (GoB 2005b, p.4). Since the 1998 National Policy establishes the roles of the local government, the Pro Poor Strategy establishes that it is the responsibility of the Ward-level officials to identify eligible households without the basic minimum level of service and those that are hardcore poor households. Households that are both hardcore poor and lack the basic minimum will be identified as ‘Target Groups’ and given subsidies for their latrines (GoB 2005b, p.7). The Strategy also establishes mechanisms for administering subsidies and shifting to capital cost contributions from hardcore poor households in installments, and sustaining operations and maintenance costs. The National Strategy for Water and Sanitation in Hard to Reach Areas (GoB 2011d) was developed with the objective of developing criteria for identifying HtR areas and peoples and to target programming in recognition of the fact that the national target of sanitation coverage would not be reached without special attention to HtR areas and peoples. As such, the Strategy defines HtR areas and peoples as follows:

Areas having poor water and sanitation coverage due to adverse hydro-geological condition, having poor and inadequate communication network, and frequent occurrence of natural calamities which in turn results in higher rate of child mortality and accelerates the vicious cycle of poverty, are referred

4 Note: The term ‘hardcore poor’ is a particular classification in Bangladesh used to identify and describe the extremely poor. Please see Annex II. Defining sanitation in policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh to review the definition.


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as hard to reach areas and the people of those areas as well as people who do not have any fixed place for living, e.g., gypsies, sex workers, are called hard to reach people due to their social exclusion from adequate WatSan services (GoB 2011d, p.5).

One of the key outcomes of this strategy was the identification and classification of HtR areas on the map of Bangladesh based on six key indicators (Box 8), while recognizing that these indicators may change with time or

in specific contexts. From an analysis of these indicators, the Strategy was able to rank areas from moderate HtR, Very HtR, and Extreme HtR and develops context-specific strategies for different areas, such as coastal areas and urban slums. Overall, the strategies for these areas emphasize the use of existing legal frameworks, strengthening monitoring and evaluations, capacitating local governments, implementing the Pro Poor Strategy, and incorporating local knowledge and user-friendly technologies (GoB 2011d, p.9-10). The National Hygiene Promotion Strategy for Water Supply and

Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh (2012) was developed to provide complete guidance on hygiene promotion in the WASH-sector. Until the strategy was developed, the policy environment primarily focused on access to water and sanitation. The strategy presents a framework with three components – access to hardware, hygiene promotion and the enabling environment – that are necessary to prevent water and sanitation related diseases (GoB 2012b, p. 5). Throughout the strategy, five key ‘behavioural domains’ are targeted that relate to hygiene, but only one is specific to sanitation “Disposal of human feces i.e. sanitation hygiene,” (GoB 2012b, p. 2). As recommended in the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, one of the guiding principles of the hygiene strategy is that programmes should be technically, culturally, and socially appropriate and the community should be central to the planning and implementation (WHO 2018, p.20; GoB 2012b, p.6). As such, the strategy does not recommend specific sanitation technologies, but does discuss the need for on-site and off-site sanitation with latrines appropriate to specific contexts, such as wetlands with raised platform, raised pit and floating latrines or urban slums where shared community latrines may be appropriate (GoB 2012b, p.13-14). Gender sensitive and disability friendly approaches are also included in the guiding principles. The participation of women is highlighted as especially important for household level hygiene promotion (GoB 2012b, p.14). The implication of hygiene promotion on human health is in focus and the role of the MoHFW and the MoE are highlighted throughout the document (GoB 2012b, p.8). Overall, as compared to other legal frameworks in Bangladesh, the National Hygiene Promotion Strategy emphasizes the important role of the health and education sectors in WASH.

4.6. Regulations and standards

This section reviews the following regulations and standards:

• 2014 Bangladesh Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill

• 2017 Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Fecal Sludge Management

• 2011 National Standards for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Schools in Bangladesh

• 1997 Environment Conservation Rules

There is currently no independent regulatory agency for sanitation services in Bangladesh. In 2014, the final draft of the Bangladesh Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill was submitted for approval to the

Box 8: The six indicators to identify HtR areas in Bangladesh

• Availability of water (indicated by the level of groundwater table)

• Improved drinking-water coverage

• Hygienic sanitation coverage

• Climactic hotspots

• Poverty level

• Child mortality


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MoLGRDC to establish an independent economic regulatory commission for water supply and sanitation. The approval of the bill into law is pending and institutionalization may take several more years. The Bill indicates that the functions of the regulatory commission would be to regulate tariffs, service quality, and protection of interest of users (GoB 2014a, p.4), as well as to make regulations (p.11). The Commission would be housed in Dhaka with five members, including a chairperson. The definition of ‘sanitation’ in the Bill captures both on-site and off-site sanitation systems along the sanitation service chain (Figure 5) and excludes solid waste management (Annex II). In this sense, the Bill aligns to the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, which state that regulations should “Explicitly recognize sewered and non-sewered sanitation system types (including decentralized systems), including the full service chains of both,” (WHO 2018, p.21). Aside from recognizing existing legislation that was reviewed in section 4.3 of this report, the Bill does not name specific regulations to be carried out along the service chain for sewered or non-sewered sanitation. This may be because regulatory instruments in Bangladesh are limited and the Commission is not yet in place to develop or enforce regulations. For these reasons, the Bill clearly establishes that the Commission is responsible for making regulations for the water supply and sanitation sector (GoB 2014a, p.11). In regard to service provision, the Bill outlines duties for service providers to provide non-discriminatory and timely services, and to course-correct as needed (GoB 2014a, p.17). Likewise, the Bill recognizes that service providers may be formal (i.e., ‘registered’) or informal (GoB 2014a, p.5.).

Figure 5. Sanitation service chain

To address the full service chain the need for a regulatory framework specific to FSM was recognized by the NFWSS in Bangladesh. After several years of development, the LGD officially launched the Institutional and Regulatory Framework (IRF) for FSM in October 2017 (GoB 2017b). The IRF-FSM aims to address the management of faecal sludge in both rural and urban areas. The IRF-FSM describes FSM as “…also known as septage management, FSM includes the various technologies and mechanisms for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of sludge produced by septic tanks, pit latrines, and wastewater treatment plants” (GoB 2017b, p.ix). By avoiding prescriptive technologies and recognizing the entire sanitation service chain, the IRF-FSM aligns itself to the recommendations made in the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health (WHO 2018, p.64). The primary objectives of the IRF-FSM are: (1) to identify ways and means of safe management of faecal sludge and (2) to define specific roles and responsibilities of various institutions and stakeholders, particular to the specific local context, for effective management of faecal sludge. Separate frameworks were developed to address different contextual situations in the country including: rural Areas, paurashavas, city corporations and one specific to mega city Dhaka. Each IRF-FSM establishes the institutional arrangements and responsibilities (Box 9), citing the Local Government Acts (2009/1998). Although the Local Government Acts do not explicitly mention FSM, it is interpreted under the umbrella of sanitation, which is mentioned in the Acts. Therefore, the lead ministry for FSM is identified as the MoLGRDC. Other responsible institutions include local governments (i.e., union parishads, paurashavas, and city corporations) who hold the responsibility to implement FSM, institutions for capacity building, and supporting institutions for awareness building.

Toilet Containment-

storage/

treatment

Conveyance Treatment End

use/disposal


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Box 9: Institutional responsibilities as established in the IRF-FSM

• Ministries: to endorse this FSM framework; secure funding; technical support through respective line agencies (DPHE, LGED, WASA); initiate inclusive planning and execution of FSM; ensure enforcement of laws, policies, strategies and guidelines; and monitoring through the NFWSS.

• Local government institutions and line agencies: to implement the entire FSM system.

• Institutions for capacity building: to provide research support to fill the knowledge gaps, technical assistance, training, quality assurance of process and products (e.g., compost) in the FSM service chain.

• Institutions for awareness building: to support awareness campaign, promote private sector participation, demonstration of FSM business models, performance monitoring, technical assistance, R&D support and funding.

The IRF-FSM uses the sanitation service chain and existing legal frameworks in Bangladesh to identify the roles and responsibilities for FSM and identify key components for regulation. For sanitation facilities and disposal of faecal sludge, the IRF-FSM emphasizes the proper design, location, and construction; inspection, compliance and penalties; and promoting disposal that prevents dumping into bodies of water. For collection and treatment, the IRF-FSM focuses on incorporating manual pit-emptying and integrating traditional pit-emptiers into the FSM chain, while also ensuring their health and safety – a component that is also prominent in the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. The IRF-FSM also suggests that local governments should establish fees along the entire service chain from collection to disposal. Such fees, if implemented, would align with the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, which recommend that fees and tariffs be regulated across the service chain in order “to ensure that sanitation services are accessible to all, including poor households, while remaining financially viable for private or commercially managed operators,” (WHO 2018, p.65). More details on fees and tariffs are presented in section 5 of this report. To support the IRF-FSM, the Local Government Division Task Force has been appointed to develop a National Action Plan for the IRF-FSM. The task force is being led by International Training Network-Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. The National Standards for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Schools in Bangladesh were approved by the GoB in 2011. In regard to sanitation, the standards are designed for use in a low-cost setting and follow criteria to meet definitions of improved sanitation in schools as developed by the JMP (GoB 2011a, p.12). The standard for sanitation states, “Toilets and Urinals: Sufficient, accessible, private, secure, clean and culturally appropriate toilets are provided for schoolchildren and staffs,” (GoB 2011a, p.13). The standard is backed by seven key indicators (Box 10) and guidance notes for the standards.

Box 10: Indicators for toilets and urinals from the National Standards for WASH for Schools in Bangladesh (GoB 2011a)

1. “Sufficient toilets or urinals are available address the needs of school children: one per 50 children and one for each 10 female staff and one for each 10 male staff. In general, 60% of the total amount of facilities can be urinals for boys.

2. Toilets are easily accessible to all, including staff and children with disabilities – no more than 50 m from all users. When possible, male and female toilets are completely separated.

3. Toilets provide privacy and security against harassment, rape, animals, etc. 4. Toilets are child friendly including socio-cultural appropriate, age and gender appropriate,

provide appropriate menstrual hygiene management facilities such as rag cleaning, drying or


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disposing facilities and accessible for children with disabilities or suffering from chronic diseases.

5. Toilets are hygienic to use and easy to clean. 6. Toilets have convenient hand washing facilities close by (soap and running water available all

the time). 7. A cleaning and maintenance routine is in operation, and ensures that clean and functioning

toilets are available at all school hours,” (p.45).

Finally, the 1997 Environment Conservation Rules, which supports the 1995 Environment conservation Act, establish the drinking-water standards in Schedule-3 and clearly indicate that zero n/100ml faecal coliforms should be present in any drinking-water samples (GoB 1997). Schedule-9 establishes standards for sewage discharge, indicating that the limits are only applicable to discharge into surface and inland waters (GoB 1997). Besides these points, the Rules do not directly address other matters relating to sanitation.

5. Financing in policy and planning frameworks

This section reviews the following:

• 2012 National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh

• 2011 Sector Development Plan

One framework that supports financing mechanisms in the WASH sector in Bangladesh is the National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh (2012). The strategy was developed to facilitate uniform practices for issues such as policy interpretation, economic pricing, tariff design, and gradual phasing out of subsidies (GoB 2012c, p.1). The overall goal is for the strategy to contribute to making costs of services affordable, equitable and sustainable. For sanitation, the Strategy is applicable to a number of on-site and off-site technologies and management options (Box 11). For urban sanitation, cost sharing for sewer services are outlined in the form of tariffs at different rates depending on the cost calculation and service provided. Drainage services are in the form of taxes, and sanitation facilities costs are divided between service providers subsidies or grants and out of pockets costs from users. For rural sanitation, the Strategy proposes that users contribute a specified percentage of the capital cost depending on their household category as either non-poor, poor, or hardcore poor, which are clearly defined in the Pro-poor Strategy (GoB 2005).

Box 11: Sanitation Technologies covered in the National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (GoB 2012c, p.11)

• All present and future sanitation technologies

• Water sealed and other low cost/disable friendly/climate resilient latrines with or without septic tank (including community latrines and public toilets)

• Sewerage (including small-bore)

• Drainage (small and storm water) including or without sewage • Solid waste management (separate detailed planning is being done by Ministry of

Environment, GOB)


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As mentioned in section 4.5, the SDP includes a chapter outlining a Sector Investment Plan, where investment requirements were calculated for the short (2011-2015), medium (2016-2020) and long (2021-2025) terms (GoB 2011a, p.139). In urban areas, investment planning for water supply and sanitation are merged. In rural areas, investment planning for water supply and for sanitation are separated. The investment plan also outlines three case scenarios – from the base case to the best case – projecting different levels of sanitation services and operating efficiencies for sanitation (Table 4). For example, Scenario 1 (the base scenario) for urban sanitation estimates the cost of reaching coverage between 50% and 80%, with poorly maintained toilet facilities and a low-level operating efficiency (sludge safely managed and operations and maintenance cost recovery). The scenarios include both on-site and off-site sanitation technologies and account for the costs of reaching HtR areas and peoples. As mentioned in section 4.5, for reaching HtR areas and vulnerable groups, the implementation of affordability mechanisms in the form of subsidies are clearly outlined in the Pro Poor Strategy (GoB 2005).

Table 4. Scenarios for sanitation services and operations for sector investment planning (Based on GoB 2011a, p.142- 143)

Coverage scenario (% of population) Technology options used

O&M status of toilet facilities

Sludge from onsite sanitation safely managed

O&M cost

recover

Scenario 1 (base case)

Urban 50 – 80

Conventional and small bore sewer with treatment and septic tank with safe desludging and disposal up to paurashava levels

Poorly maintained Low Low

Rural < 40 Double pit with water sealed latrine and septic tank with safe desludging and disposal

Poorly maintained - -

Scenario 2 (moderate case)

Urban 35 – 95


Moderately maintained

Medium Medium


Moderately maintained

- -

Scenario 3 (best case)

Urban 20 – 100


Well-maintained High High


Well maintained - -

With its different scenarios, the SDP calculates the investment costs for each scenario for the short, medium and long term. Several funding sources are identified including (1) the public sector through public investment and revenue from utilities, (2) the private sector through community contributions, households, and private entrepreneurs, and (3) non-governmental organizations through donors and donor programs (GoB 2011a, p. 146). With the outlined investment costs, the SDP identifies a public sector budget gap of approximately 50% for urban water and sanitation and approximately 23% for rural water and sanitation. Overall, the conclusion of the SDP is


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that investment into the water and sanitation sector has to increase by at least two-fold for the next five years to achieve the plans outlined in the SDP (GoB 2011a, p.149). In regard to financing for the entire sanitation sector, the Perspective Plan states that the five-year plans will seek to increase investments in water and sanitation. In 2017, the General Economics Divisions of the Planning Commission published the SDGs Financing Strategy (GoB 2017a). The strategy estimates the total additional costs needed to achieve SDG 6 targets for the years leading up to the end of the SDG period in 2030. The estimated additional costs needed to achieve SDG 6 range from 1.6 to 0.97 billion US$ per year from 2017 to 2030 (GoB 2017a, p.95).

6. Monitoring in policy and planning frameworks

This section reviews the following:

• 2011 Sector Development Plan

• 2018 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the SDGs in Bangladesh

For national monitoring, the SDP proposes key indicators to monitor and inform the water and sanitation sector. Table 5 provides an overview of the proposed indicators relevant to sanitation. These indicators would be included in a sector information system that is coordinated by the Policy Support Unit of the LGD.

Table 5. Key sanitation indicators from the Sector Development Plan (Based on Table 7.1 in SDP, p.154)

Performance themes Key indicators Description of the indicators (unit)

Access Sanitation coverage Proportion of population with access to improved sanitation facilities (%)

Investment Efficiency Unit cost Unit cost of additional population served (BDT/capita)

Inclusiveness Pro-poor Proportion of having access to the water and sanitation facilities (%)

Strategy 17 in the 2014 National Strategy on Water Supply and Sanitation aims to “Enhance coordination and monitoring” (GoB 2014b, p.17). Primarily the strategy focuses on strengthening monitoring mechanisms at different levels – from the community to national – and to streamline some key WASH indicators. In addition, Strategy 17 establishes the need to strengthen the National Management Information System for water supply and sanitation at DPHE to contribute to strengthening and streamlining monitoring systems. In 2018 the General Economics Division released the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the SDGs in Bangladesh (GoB 2018a). The framework presents information on all 232 SDG indicators and describe the availability of data for monitoring the indicators. In regard to SDG 6, the report indicated that the LGD is the responsible institution for monitoring both indicator 6.2, on the proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services, and indicator 6.3, on the proportion of safely treated wastewater. While the data is readily available for reporting on 6.2, the report indicated that data is not available for reporting on indicator 6.3.1. Sector reviews or JSRs are conducted by the NFWSS, which is chaired by the Secretary of the LGD (GoB 2014b). Generally, over ten government agencies and approximately four to six development partners participate in the reviews (GLAAS Country Survey 2018). The JSR covers topics ranging from new policy proposals to reviewing results from any WASH monitoring initiatives or surveys (e.g. the National Hygiene Baseline Survey 2014). Through annual JSRs, the forum identifies primary needs and decides the way forward for the WASH sector (GLAAS Country Survey 2018). For example, the 16th NFWSS meeting in December 2014 resulted in the call to develop the IRF-FSM. The 2014 National Strategy highlights the need for the NFWSS to continue (GoB 2014b, p.17).


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7. Looking ahead

There are several ongoing processes to develop policy and planning frameworks for sanitation in Bangladesh. As described in section 4.6. Regulations and standards, a regulatory commission for water supply and sanitation is in process. The Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill is pending approval, upon which the regulatory commission will be established. To support the IRF-FSM, a National Action Plan for the IRF-FSM is being developed. In December 2017, Bangladesh held its first national workshop on WASH in HCF (WASH in HCF 2017). The meeting determined the need for the National Strategy for WASH in Healthcare Facilities and Framework for Action, which is being finalized for government approval. Guidelines for WASH in schools have also been approved to support the National Standards on WASH in Schools. In June 2018, the MoLGRDC formed a committee at the level of the LGD to better align national water and sanitation plans with the SDGs. The activity to align to the SDGs is expected to take six months (Country consultation 2018). Alongside the SDG alignment, national sanitation targets are being established. The primary challenge in national target-setting for sanitation in Bangladesh is that national and international definitions for sanitation are not necessarily aligned. For example, throughout the MDG-era, Bangladesh focused efforts on becoming 100% ODF by building culturally and contextually acceptable shared latrines. As a result, shared latrines are popular in Bangladesh. However, in accordance to the JMP sanitation service ladder shared latrines, even if safely managed, are considered to be ‘limited sanitation’ (WHO/UNICEF 2017). In light of the JMP service ladders and in understanding that the SDGs are aspirational global goals, the ongoing target-setting process in Bangladesh will determine which targets are feasible and how best to define sanitation for the country context.


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References Al-Muyeed, A (2015) Book of Abstracts Journey to Zero Conference. Sanitation Conference 3-4 October 2015. Sanitation

Secretariat. Department of Public Health Engineering. Local Government Division. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Centre for Research and Information (CRI) (2017) Water and Sanitation in Bangladesh: A Clean Future. Available at:

http://cri.org.bd/publication/water-&-sanitation-16/#p=1. Country consultation (2018) Information gathered through personal communication in meetings held with key stakeholders

from 05 August 2018 – 15 August 2018 by S.Murad. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) (2018). About Dhaka WASA. Available at: https://dwasa.org.bd/. GLAAS Country Survey (2018) [Bangladesh GLAAS Country Survey Responses]. UN-Water GLAAS. World Health Organization.

Raw data. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1972) Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1995) The Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1996) Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1997) The Environment Conservation Rules. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1998) National Policy for Safe Water Supply & Sanitation. Ministry of

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2005a) National Sanitation Strategy. Ministry of Local Government,

Rural Development & Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2005b) Pro Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh.

Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Unit for Policy Implementation. Available at: https://itn.buet.ac.bd/publications/sector-documents/documents/Pro-poor-Strategy-for-Water-and-Sanitation.pdf

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2009) The Local Government Acts. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2011a) National Standards for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Schools

in Bangladesh. Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and UNICEF Bangladesh. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2011b) National Health Policy. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2011c) Sector Development Plan (FY 2011-25) Water Supply and

Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh. Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Available at: https://itn.buet.ac.bd/publications/sector-documents/documents/sdpeng.pdf

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2011d) The National Strategy for Water and Sanitation Hard to Reach

Areas. Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives. Available at: https://www.ircwash.org/resources/national-strategy-water-and-sanitation-hard-reach-areas-bangladesh

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2012a) Perspective Plan of Bangladesh (2010-2021): Making Vision 2021

a Reality. General Economics Division. Planning Commission. Ministry of Planning.

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https://itn.buet.ac.bd/publications/sector-documents/documents/Pro-poor-Strategy-for-Water-and-Sanitation.pdf

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Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2012b) National Hygiene Promotion Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh. Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Local Government Division

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2012c) The National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh. Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Available at: https://itn.buet.ac.bd/publications/sector-documents/documents/ncss.pdf

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2014a) Bangladesh Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission

Bill 2014. Final Draft Bill. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2014b) National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation. Ministry of

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Local Government Division. Available at: http://www.who.int/globalchange/resources/wash-toolkit/national-strategy-for-water-supply-and-sanitation-bangladesh.pdf .

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2015a) 7th Five-Year Plan. General Economics Division. Planning

Commission. Ministry of Planning. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2017a) SDGs Financing Strategy: Bangladesh Perspective. General

Economics Division. Planning Commission. Ministry of Planning. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2017b) Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Fecal Sludge

Management (FSM) in Bangladesh. Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. Local Government Division.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2018a) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs): Bangladesh Perspective. General Economics Division. Planning Commission. Ministry of Planning. Available at: http://plancomm.gov.bd/upload/2018/Monitoring_and_Evaluation_Framework_of_SDGS_Book_Proof.pdf

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2018b) Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. General Economics Division.

Planning Commission. Ministry of Planning. Practical Action. Faecal sludge management in Bangladesh. Available at: https://practicalaction.org/faecal-sludge-

management-updates-bangladesh. Rahman, Dr. Md. Mujibur and Ali, Ashraf (2016) Faecal Sludge Management in Bangladesh: Institutional and Regulatory

Framework [Powerpoint Presentation]. ITN-BUET. Dhaka, Bangladesh. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (2010) UN GA RES – The Human Right to Water and Sanitation. UN Doc.

A/64/L.63/Rev1. Available at: https://www.waterlex.org/resources/documents/UNGA_RES64_292.pdf United Nations (2018) Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability. Website. Available at: <

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/environ.shtml>. WASH in HCF (2017) Outcomes of National Workshop on WASH in Health Care Facilities in Bangladesh: Call for Joint Action.

Workshop Report. 13 December 2017. Available at: https://www.washinhcf.org/documents/BangladeshWinHCF-Workshop_Dec2017.pdf

WHO/UNICF JMP (2018) Bangladesh Sanitation Data. Data available at: http://washdata.org.

https://itn.buet.ac.bd/publications/sector-documents/documents/ncss.pdf

http://www.who.int/globalchange/resources/wash-toolkit/national-strategy-for-water-supply-and-sanitation-bangladesh.pdf

http://www.who.int/globalchange/resources/wash-toolkit/national-strategy-for-water-supply-and-sanitation-bangladesh.pdf

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http://washdata.org/


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WHO/UNICEF JMP. Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG baselines. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program. Geneva: World Health Organization and UNICEF.

World Health Organization (2018) Guidelines on sanitation and health. Geneva. Available at:

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274939/9789241514705-eng.pdf?ua=1

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274939/9789241514705-eng.pdf?ua=1

Sanitation Policy Case Studies: Bangladesh

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ANNEXES

Annex I. Glossary

Law: A law is a system of rules that the country recognizes as legally binding. Sometimes laws are called legislation or legislative frameworks. National development plan: A national development plan – sometimes called a vision – is a national long-term social and/or economic development plan. National development plans usually include all sectors covered by government institutions (e.g., education, health, WASH, etc.). Policy: A policy is a key guiding instrument for present and future decisions. Policies are the principle guides to action taken by the government to achieve national, sector, and/or industry-wide goals. In different countries policies will go by another name. Policies are not necessarily enforceable by law. Plan: A plan – sometimes called a strategy – gives effect to decisions based on the policy. Plans are implementable items that establish targets to achieve and provide details on implementing policy or regulation. Plans can assign responsibilities and indicate how the responsible entities will respond to requirements set forth by policy, law, and regulation, the type of training and development that will be provided, and how financial and human resources will be allocated. Plans are not necessarily enforceable by law and may go by another name, depending on the country. Regulations and standards: A regulation – sometimes called a standard – is a rule or directive that implements the mandates/requirements set forth in law. Regulations are developed by an agency or ministry that has been established through legislation or an executive action.


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Annex II. Defining sanitation in policy and planning frameworks in Bangladesh

Source Page Word Definition

Sanitation 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation

6 (Part 5) Sanitation Sanitation means human excreta and sludge disposal, drainage and solid waste management

2005 National Sanitation Strategy

7 100% Sanitation No open defecation; Hygienic latrines available to all; Use of hygienic latrines by all; Proper maintenance of latrines for continual use, and Improved hygienic practices. Sanitation should also mean total sanitary condition for healthy living. Thus the term must include: hygienic latrine facilities away from the environment; proper management of solid waste; and proper disposal of household wastewater and storm water.

2011 Sector Development Plan

11 Sanitation Sanitation means human excreta disposal, drainage and solid waste management (which are commonly known as Environmental Sanitation). Hygiene promotion, although not explicitly mentioned in the NPSWSS 1998, is included in sanitation. The only departure from the definitions used in the NPSWSS 1998 is the exclusion of solid waste management as a separate sector plan for solid waste management in urban areas is being prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)

2012 National Cost Sharing Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Bangladesh

7 Sanitation This shall include physical infrastructures and outputs of the following: a) All types of sanitary latrines; b) Pit/septic tank desludging; c) Drainage (for wastewater and storm water run-off); d) Sewerage (including small-bore sewage with septic tank or desludging arrangements may be applicable in peri-urban and growth center contexts) with or without treatment; e) Solid waste management

2014 Bangladesh Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill

5 Sanitation “sanitation” means collection, transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal by regulated service provider through centralized or decentralized systems of liquid human waste and sludge, excluding solid waste, storm water, and industrial effluents, and shall include other means of sanitation as determined by the Commission in consultation with the service providers from time to time;

2014 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation

ix Sanitation Hygienic means of promoting health through treatment and safe disposal of feces, surface drainage, solid waste and waste waters.

Coverage/Basic Minimum Level of Service 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation 1998

2 Sanitation coverage

One sanitary latrine per household


10 Basic minimum level of service

every member of the household should have access to a safe hygienic latrine – either a separate household latrine, shared latrine subject to use by maximum of two households or a community latrine

2005 Pro Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector

4 Basic Minimum Level of Service

The ‘Basic Minimum Service Level’ for Sanitation is defined as one ‘hygienic latrine’ for each household. However, if it is not possible to have one ‘hygienic latrine’ for each household due to lack of space or other reasons, then such households can either use “others’ latrines”, subject to a maximum of two households (or 10 persons) for one latrine or “community latrines”, subject to a maximum of 10 persons per latrine.


22 Standards for sanitation coverage

Bangladesh Basic Standard: Individual or shared latrines of the following types: Flush and pour-flush toilet/latrines to piped sewered; Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap; Pit latrines with slab but no water seal, lid or flap; Ventilated improved pit latrines; Composting latrines Bangladesh Improved Standard: Individual or shared hygienic latrines shared by maximum of two households of the following types: Flush and pour-toilet/latrines to piped sewer system or septic tank; Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap; Ventilated improved pit latrines; Composting latrines


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JMP Standard: Individual latrines of the following types: Flush and pour-flush toilet/latrines to piped sewer system or septic tank; Pit latrines with slab and water seal or lid or flap; Pit latrines with slab but no water seal, lid or flap; Ventilated improved pit latrines; Composting latrines


ix Sanitation Service Level

The basic minimum service level for sanitation is that every household has a separate hygienic latrine with appropriate faecal sludge management system. In special circumstances, maximum two households may share a hygienic latrine. Community latrines may be used in cases of communities with space constraints, such as low income communities in urban areas or in hard to reach areas where each household should have access to a latrine in an acceptable manner.

Sanitation Systems/Latrines 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation

4 Sanitary Latrine Technology options ranging from pit latrines to water borne sewerage


8 Hygienic Latrine A sanitation facility the use of which effectively breaks the cycle of disease transmission. A hygienic latrine would mean to include all of the following: (1) Confinement of feces away from environment; (2) Sealing of the passage between the squat hole and the pit to effectively block the pathway for flies and other insect vectors thereby breaking the cycle of disease transmission, and ; (3) Venting out of foul gases generated in the pit through a properly positioned vent pipe to keep the latrine odor free and encourage continual use of the hygienic latrine


4 Hygienic Latrine ‘hygienic latrine’ will mean to include ‘all’ of the following: 1. Confinement of feces; 2. Sealing of the passage between the squat hole and the pit to effectively block the pathways for flies and other insect vectors thereby breaking the cycle of disease transmission 3. Venting out of foul gases generated in the pit through a properly positioned vent pipe to keep the latrine odor free and encourage continual use of the hygienic latrine


ix Hygienic Latrine The latrine that would be able to confine the feces away from the environment and it seals the path between the squat hole and the pit to effectively block the pathways of bad smell, flies and other insect vectors thereby breaking the cycle of disease transmission.


21 Latrine types Hygienic Latrines: These latrines effectively control the faecal‐oral route of disease transmission. The National Sanitation Strategy 2005 recommends the use of hygienic latrines and the minimum standard of this latrine type is a pit‐latrine with a water seal, lid or flap. Improved Latrines: According to WHO‐UNICEF’s JMP, these latrines “ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact.” The minimum standard of this type of latrine is a pit‐latrine with slabs. Unhygienic latrines: These latrines allow fixed point defecation, but humans may come into direct or indirect contact with human excreta through various routes. This type of latrine includes pit‐latrines without slab and bucket latrines.


ix Community Latrine

A single or a number of hygienic latrines placed in a cluster for use by a section of community.

2017 Institutional and Regulatory Framework for FSM

ix Onsite sanitation system

Sanitation infrastructures that are designed to collect, store and dispose of human excreta at the household premises and include septic tank systems and various types of pit latrines

Faecal Sludge 2014 Bangladesh Water Supply and Sanitation Regulatory Commission Bill

5 Sewerage “sewerage” means human excreta and sullage, municipal/ domestic /sanitary wastewater, sullage, and faecal sludge, collected from residences and other establishments through pipes and other networked structures, and shall include such definition of sewerage as determined by the Commission in consultation with the service providers from time to time;


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ix Faecal sludge Sludge removed from all kinds of on-site sanitation systems such as septic tanks, aqua privies, pit latrines, community multiple pit system, etc.


Ix Faecal sludge management

Also known as septage management, FSM includes the various technologies and mechanisms for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of sludge produced by septic tanks, pit latrines, and wastewater treatment plants.

Vulnerable Groups 2011 Sector Development Plan

74 Vulnerable groups

In broad terms, the vulnerable groups include the following categories of people (according to National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction): women; children; persons with disability/differently able people; indigenous communities; disadvantaged and extremely poor persons; and floating population.


x Vulnerable people

There are some groups of people who have unfavorable socio-economic or physical characteristics that constraint their access to basic services including water supply and sanitation. Examples of these groups of people are children, people with different ability, aged people, extreme poor, low income urban communities in slum areas, tea garden workers, indigenous communities and floating population.


8 Poor Rural: Meeting any of the following criteria: (a) owning less than 200 decimal (2 acres) of land (including cultivable and homestead), but depending mainly on agriculture, (b) live in poor quality (i.e. kancha or tin-roofed) house lesser than 500 square feed, (c) having single source of the household income, not exceeding monthly income of Taka 3,999, (d) having 3 (three) months’ food deficit per calendar year, both men and women sell labor occasionally and some of them involved in sharecropping, (e) having limited access to educational facilities of their children Urban: Meeting any of the following criteria: (a) landless, live in poor quality (i.e. semi=pucca or tin-roofed) house or in rented premise lesser than 500 square feet, (b) having single source of the household income, not exceeding monthly income of Taka 4,999, (d) having 3 (three) months’ food deficit per calendar year, both men and women sell labor occasionally (d) having limited access to educational facilities of their children


x Poor They are the member of households whose per capita expenditure on food and non-food items combined are equal to or less than the summation of food poverty line and non-food poverty line (also termed as upper poverty line).


3 Hardcore poor Eligibility criteria: 1. Landless households; 2. Pavement dwellers/homeless; 3. Main earning person or the head of family is day laborer, owning less than 50 decimal of agriculture land or residing in a rented premise lesser than 200 square feet, and, having no fixed source of income; 4. Households headed by Disabled or Females or Old aged (65+ years) persons. If the answer to any of the above criteria is ‘yes’, the household will be treated as hardcore poor to give priority in subsidized WATSAN services, unless excluded by the ‘Exclusion-criteria’. Exclusion criteria: 1. The households owning more than 1 acre of land (cultivable and homestead) will be excluded from the list; 2. The households with income level greater than the income corresponding to the ‘Poverty-line’ definition would be excluded from the list. (As per estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics).


8 Hardcore poor Rural: Meeting any of the following criteria: (a) landless households, (b) homeless or residing in other’s premise/land (of public or private), (c) main earning person or the head of family is day laborer, owning les that 100 decimal of land (cultivable and homestead), (d) having no fixed source of income, (e) households headed by disabled or females or old aged (65+ years) persons, (f) monthly household income not exceeding Taka 2,499.


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Urban: Meeting any of the following criteria: (a) landless households, (b) pavement/slum dwellers/homeless), (c) main earning person or the head of family is day laborer, owning les that 100 decimal of land (cultivable and homestead) or residing in a rented premise lesser than 200 square feet, and, having no fixed source of income, (d) households headed by disabled or females or old aged (65+ years) persons, (f) monthly household income not exceeding Taka 3,999.


x Extreme poor They are the member of households whose total expenditures on food and non-food items combined are equal to or less than food poverty line (also termed as the lower poverty line).

2011 National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation in Hard to Reach Areas

5 Hard to Reach Areas and People

Areas having poor water and sanitation coverage due to adverse hydro-geological condition, having poor and inadequate communication network, and frequent occurrence of natural calamities which in turn results in higher rate of child mortality and accelerates the vicious cycle of poverty, are referred as hard to reach areas and the people of those areas as well as people who do not have any fixed place for living, e.g., gypsies, sex works, are called hard to reach people due to their social exclusion from adequate WatSan services.


x Hard to reach areas

Due to some spatial constraints related to geo-physical factors there are some areas in the country where water supply and sanitation cannot be provided easily. Examples of these areas are the char land (River Island), beels (natural depressions or saucer shaped areas subjected to flooding by rain or river water which may or may not hold water throughout the year), haors (large natural water bodies in the form of bowl-shaped depressions between two different rivers), exposed coastal lines and islands, hilly areas and enclave areas.

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