Bangladesh has made significant progress in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector. However, the full implementation of national policies, laws, and strategies remains a major challenge. Why are our excellent plans proving weak at the execution stage? What are the principal impediments? Are there any deficiencies in the policies themselves?
While Bangladesh has traversed a noteworthy path in policy formulation, ensuring “safe” WASH services in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 still presents a considerable challenge. According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, although the coverage of improved sanitation facilities in Bangladesh currently exceeds 86%, there is a substantial deficit in achieving the “safe” standard.
Numerous government departments are involved in WASH initiatives. Nonetheless, effective communication and coordination are absent among these departments in terms of planning, budgeting, and oversight. Analysts have identified this multi-sectoral lack of coordination as a primary obstacle to the successful implementation of policies.
Dr Katrina Mecham, an environmental engineering expert at the University of Oxford, emphasizes: "Success in implementing issues such as safe water and sanitation hinges on effective coordination among the government, civil society, and the private sector. Without this collaboration, sustaining service delivery over the long term becomes impossible."
Another principal barrier is the lack of transparency and accountability in policy implementation. Corruption, non-transparent recruitment, and political interference in service provider organizations make it difficult to deliver services to the right place, at the right time, and according to the correct standards.
Funding alone is insufficient; a dearth of trained and skilled workers presents a profound additional problem. There is a particularly acute shortage of the specialised knowledge and expertise required for operating modern sewerage systems and maintaining climate-resilient infrastructure.
National policies or strategies often focus on average figures, leading to the frequent neglect of disadvantaged populations. Analysis of data reveals that while water access is superior in urban areas, rural and coastal regions continue to face significant problems due to salinity and arsenic contamination.
Coastal areas, haors (wetlands), and char (river islands) in Bangladesh are highly vulnerable to salinity, floods, and cyclones, leading to the repeated destruction of water sources in these regions. Furthermore, weak policies and structural fragility impede policy implementation.
To accelerate the implementation of policies and ensure WASH services reach everyone, the government, civil society, and the private sector must all play a constructive role. Their collaboration is crucial in addressing the multifaceted challenges in the WASH sector.
- It is imperative for all governmental departments responsible for WASH to undertake and maintain regular activities in line with the relevant policies or strategy documents. These activities should include planning, budgeting, oversight, and coordination with other stakeholders.
- Progress is unachievable without empowering local government institutions with their own budgetary authority and the power to collect revenue for the WASH sector, especially for maintenance.
- To successfully implement national policies at the local level, all levels of the government - union parishads, upazila parishads, municipalities, and city corporations - must develop their own “WASH Master Plans.” These plans, which are comprehensive strategies for WASH service delivery, must be aligned with national policies and should publish short- and long-term action plans tailored to the specific climate risks and community needs of their respective areas.
- Initiatives must be undertaken to collect regular and equitable tariffs or revenue from users or beneficiaries for the maintenance of water supply and sewerage facilities.
- The use of this revenue must be legally mandated exclusively for the maintenance of WASH infrastructure.
- Regular field-level oversight is necessary to ensure the quality of constructed safe water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and sewerage systems, and the public must also be involved in this monitoring process.
Our WASH policy framework is robust, but its internal weaknesses are obstructing full implementation. Achieving SDG 6 by 2030 will only be possible if we sincerely focus on coordination, transparency, and enhancing local capacity. Improved sanitation and access to safe water are not merely governmental tasks but a right for every citizen and a fundamental key to the nation’s overall advancement.
Fayazuddin Ahmad is a Development Professional and Researcher.
