While Bangladesh often cites rapid development and urbanization as a success, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that this unchecked urbanization has come at a great cost.
Among the more prevalent issues is seeing how one of the most basic urban services - safe sanitation - remains woefully inadequate. Public bathrooms are scarce, poorly maintained, and often unsafe. For millions of citizens, especially those working long hours, this absence of clean facilities is a daily indignity.
Indeed, it is a shame how our urban planning has consistently prioritized roads, housing, and commerce, all the while ignoring the very real needs of sanitation which has been treated as an afterthought.
Of course, the consequences of this shortcoming continue to fall disproportionately on women. A 2025 WaterAid study involving 865 urban women revealed the stark reality: 89% of marginalized urban women lack access to women-friendly sanitation facilities, while 93% lack adequate menstrual hygiene management facilities.
These are shocking numbers. That many are forced to choose between hydration and the humiliation of unsafe sanitation, and that they have to restrict water intake during the day, is nothing if not a violation of dignity on top of being a serious health concern.
As a nation looking to develop, we must look beyond the glitz and glamour of visible infrastructure and start focusing on bettering people’s lives. To that end, safe and hygienic public sanitation facilities must be recognized as a non‑negotiable urban service, not a privilege.
We expect the government to take this seriously, so that clean, accessible, and gender‑sensitive facilities become the norm in our urban centres. Investment in sanitation is a duty to the people of this country. Without it, our urban future will remain built on inequality and indignity.