Inefficient implementation of water plans and policies is the main reason why a large portion of the country’s population still do not have access to safe water, speakers said yesterday.
Moreover, the existing water laws and regulations do not sufficiently cover rights and responsibilities of users as well as the employees in the country’s water sector, they said at a seminar in the capital.
The seminar, held at the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE), was organised jointly by the DPHE, Dhaka Wasa, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), UN Information Centre in Dhaka, the World Bank, Bangladesh Wash Alliance, NGO Forum for Public Health and Unicef Bangladesh to observe World Water Day.
The topic of discussion was access to safe water as well as “Water and Jobs,” this year’s theme for World Water Day which focuses on the quality and quantity of water which is fundamental in the lives and livelihoods of workers in every sector.
Addressing the seminar, special guest and LGRD Ministry Secretary Abdul Malek said water is essential in every single job and contributes to the country’s development.
“Agriculture, industries, fisheries, transportation, social entrepreneurship – water is an essential requirement everywhere. Around 47% of total employment in the country is in the agriculture sector, where water is an integral element,” he said.
He also emphasised the necessity of recognising those who are involved in water-related works – both paid and unpaid – to ensure a better and dignified life for them.
Presenting the key note paper, Bangladesh Water Development Board’s Deputy Director Dr Anwar Zahid said the national water coverage as of 2013 is about 83%, according to the World Health Organisation and Unicef.
He further said the water coverage in hard-to-reach areas around the country is around 24%.
Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Edouard Beigbeder called upon policy makers to prioritise the most arsenic affected areas for the provision of water supply in the ongoing government projects.
“For Bangladesh, to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of safe drinking water, at least 24 million people must have access to safe water by 2030.”
Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan said by the end of this year, all the slums in the capital would be brought into Wasa’s legal water supply network to ensure that they have access to clean water.
Water resource and climate change specialist Dr Ainun Nishat put emphasis on the commitment of political leaders in this regard.
He said: “It is the political commitments by our decision-making ministries that can carry out necessary policy directions and actions to increase efficiency in water management.”