Seventh South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-VII)

Transcription

1 Seventh South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-VII) COUNTRY PAPER BANGLADESH April 2018 Islamabad, Pakistan 1 P a g e

2 Table of Contents Introduction Status of sanitation and progress in the country related to SDGs Development and Planning Framework Policies and Strategies Institutional Arrangements Basic system and structure of governance in the country Capacity Development Planning, Monitoring and Review WASH Bangladesh sector information systems Sectoral Issues Action points for Sector Coordination and Monitoring Sector Financing Planned Actions for P a g e

3 List of Abbreviations ADP Annual Development Programme BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BDHS Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey DPHE Department of Public Health Engineering FSM Faecal Sludge Management GDP Gross Domestic Production GLAAS Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking- Water GNI Gross National Income JMP Joint Monitoring Programme LCG Local Consultative Group LGD Local Government Division LGED Local Government Engineering Department LGI Local Government Institutions (e.g. Union Parishad, Pourashava) MDG Millennium Development Goals MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MoLGRDC Ministry of Local Government Rural Development & Cooperatives MTBF Medium Term Budget Framework NFWSS National Forum for Water Supply and Sanitation NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NILG National Institute of Local Governance PSU Policy Support Unit PSB Policy Support Branch SDP Sector Development Plan SDG Sustainable Development Goals SIP Sector Investment Plan SIS Sector Information System WASA Water Supply and Sanitation Authority WASH Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene WSS Water supply and sanitation 3 P a g e

4 1. Introduction Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. kilometres and population of million (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics), the population density of the country is about 1,096 people per sq. kilometer (BBS, 2017). Bangladesh has a long coastline with Bay of Bengal in the south, and borders with India in the east, west and north, and with Myanmar in the east. It has 8 administrative divisions, 64 districts, 492 sub-districts (Upazilas), 4,550 Union Parishads, 12 City Corporations and 329 Paurashavas (municipalities). Nearly 72% of the country's population lives in rural areas while 34% live in urban settings. The current GDP growth rate is 7.28%, with GDP and GNI per capita reaching USD 1,544 and USD 1,610, respectively in (BBS, 2017). Bangladesh s development scenario, particularly health, education, hunger and poverty levels, have been improving gradually. These areas have been marked for special attention by the government, and accordingly, these are expected to be emphasised upcoming eighth Five Year Plan, and allocation of fund in these sectors has increased in the current fiscal year. 1.1 Status of sanitation and progress in the country related to SDGs Nationally, 47% of people use basic sanitation, 22% use shared toilet, 31% use unimproved sanitation and there is no open defecation, according to the JMP, 2017 report. In rural areas, 43% people use basic sanitation, 19% use shared toilet, and 38% use unimproved sanitation. In urban areas, 54% of people use basic sanitation, 29% use shared toilets, and 18% use unimproved sanitation. Although there is a significant gap between rural and urban coverage of basic sanitation, the country is progressing and Bangladesh has successfully eliminated open defecation (JMP, 2017). According to the JMP report, the pit emptying status of the country is concerning, with 74% of on-site sanitation facilities never having been emptied in rural areas. In urban areas, only Dhaka city has 20% sewerage coverage. However, faecal sludge management (FSM) is now widely acknowledged as a major challenge for the sector and the country, and Department of Public Health (DPHE) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) have taken the initiative to develop a master plan to deal with FSM. With regard to hygiene, 40% of people nationally have a basic hand washing facility, 45% have a limited facility (without water or soap) and 15% have no facilities. Disaggregating by area, 31% 4 P a g e

5 of people in rural areas have a basic hand washing facility, 51% of people have a limited facility and 18% of people have no facilities. In urban areas, 58% of people have a basic hand washing facility, 32% have a limited facility and 10% have no facilities. A similar disparity between rural and urban areas, as in the case of sanitation, is also apparent in the case of basic hand washing coverage, and overall progress regarding hand washing practice is not satisfactory. Menstrual hygiene management is improving, but progress is still slow (JMP 2017). Government of Bangladesh has prepared an action plan to meet the target of SDG 6, and prioritised investment in safe sanitation including FSM and safe water supply services. 1.2 Development and Planning Framework In 2011, the government revised the Sector Development Program and prepared the Sector Development Plan for 15 years (FY ) for the water and sanitation sector. This pathbreaking initiative, undertaken by LGD, sought to sketch a bottom-up road map for providing safe drinking water and sanitation for all in a coordinated manner by all the sector stakeholders. The development framework is further supported by five year-long national development plans, where development budget including administrative and recurring expenses are detailed out. The recent initiative in this regard is the Seventh Five Year Plan (FY ). The proposed plan has set specific target related to water and sanitation which are: Safe drinking water to be made available for all urban population. Safe drinking water to be made available for all rural population Proportion of urban population with access to sanitary latrines to be increased to 100 percent. Proportion of rural population with access to sanitary latrines to be raised to 90 percent. Furthermore, the Medium-Term Budget Framework (MTBF) approach was introduced in to ensure optimum utilisation of resources consistent with the strategic goals and objectives of the government. Though the MTBF is being prepared every year, and provides a three year budget envelope, it is expected to be extended to five years to make it consistent with the Five Year Plan. Presently, 71 ministries and divisions including the LGD prepare their Annual Development Programmes (ADPs) under MTBF. The government has also adopted a long term vision for the development of the country that is reflected in the long term Perspective Plan ( ). The Perspective Plan sets the goals for the future and draws the course of action to achieve these goals by 2021, to coincide with the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh. 2. Policies and Strategies All legal instruments of the country are governed by the Constitution. Article 18(1) of the Constitution of the People s Republic of Bangladesh states that, The state shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the improvement of public health as among its primary 5 P a g e

6 duties. All activities of the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector are thus primarily aimed at improvement of public health and the environment. Under the Water Supply and Sewerage Act 1996, WASAs have been established in four big cities, with the mandate of ensuring water supply and sewerage services within the cities. The Local Government Acts (Paurashava, City Corporations, Upazila Parishad and Union Parishad) of 2009 guide the activities of the WSS sector at the local level. The Local Government Division has approved the Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy 2014, which provides strategic guidance on reaching sanitation targets. The Water Act 2013 has been enacted to make provisions for integrated, development, management, abstraction, distribution, use, protection and conservation of water resources. The National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation 1998 was the major guiding document of the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector available until Policy documents such as the National Sanitation Strategy 2005, the Pro-Poor Strategy 2005, the Sector Development Plan ( ), the National Hygiene Promotion Strategy 2012, the National Strategy for Water and Sanitation in Hard to Reach Areas Bangladesh 2012, the National Strategy for Water and Sanitation 2014 and others provide common frameworks to support programme planning. New policies and documents continue to build on the foundation created by existing plans. The issue of WASH in education is receiving more attention, and in 2018, the primary school curriculum for grades 3, 4, and 5 integrated lessons for children on the importance of sanitation and personal hygiene. These lessons were drafted following extensive discussions and consultations among sector professionals from both government and non-governmental organisations. The issue of girls education more specifically has also gained attraction, with girls rights being considered to an increasing extent when considering WASH. In June 2015, the Government of Bangladesh issued a circular on school sanitation that instructs secondary education institutions to deal with menstrual hygiene needs of school-going girls. Faecal sludge management (FSM) has been identified by stakeholders as a major challenge for the country one that could potentially hinder achievement of the Goal 6.2. To tackle the emerging challenges for sanitation sector in Bangladesh, the Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Faecal Sludge Management (IRF-FSM) has been published and disseminated by the Policy Support Branch of the Local Government Division (LGD) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives in This Institutional and Regulatory Framework covers on-site sanitation facilities and areas served by such facilities, as well as areas to be served by sewer networks and FSM services jointly. The framework has four distinct parts: mega-city Dhaka, city corporations, Paurashavas and rural areas. In each part, the framework identifies the functional ways and means of implementing FSM services, and the related roles and responsibilities of different institutions and stakeholders. The institutional roles and responsibilities specified in this framework are aligned with existing acts and policies of the country, and therefore provides relevant authorities with clear guidance on how to address FSM as part of their ongoing work. 6 P a g e

7 3. Institutional Arrangements 3.1 Basic system and structure of governance in the country The statutory responsibility for the sanitation sector is vested in Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRD&C). Within this Ministry, the LGD shares the responsibility of policy decisions, sectoral allocation and funding, as well as project appraisals, approval, evaluation and monitoring, with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance. LGD is also responsible for the administrative control of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Water Supply and Sanitation Authorities (WASAs) and local government institutions (LGls). A Sanitation Secretariat, established within the LGD, is the national focal point to guide overall sanitation improvement programmes in the country. Coordination at the national level between government agencies, NGOs, development partners and the private sector is done through the National Forum for Water Supply and Sanitation (NFWSS), established by the LGD. Coordination at the local level is undertaken by Water Supply and Sanitation Committees (WatSan Committees) established in the LGIs. The sector is supported by multilateral agencies, development partners, international and national NGOs, private sectors and informal groups. The Sector Development Plan ( ) notes that the project-based nature of most interventions is the primary limiting factor to the scaling-up of successful interventions. In an attempt to address this key challenge, the Government of Bangladesh, with the support of DANIDA, established and operated a Policy Support Unit (PSU) project tasked with implementing the SDP in relation to sectoral policy development and policy coordination. Related to this, twelve thematic groups were established to enhance sectoral coordination and the use of common approaches and communication. The Policy Support Unit (PSU) project was completed in 2016, and based on the successes and lessons learnt, the Government of Bangladesh has recently established a Policy Support Branch (PSB) in the Water Supply Wing of LGD. The PSB is tasked with facilitating sectoral coordination and completion of some of the projects started by the PSU. As part of its strategic upstream support to the sector, UNICEF is the key donor for supporting PSB to harness the required political will, generate technical and policy level stakeholder buy-in, re-establish and operationalise defunct thematic groups and development, and mobilise resources and provide technical support for the implementation of sector-wide strategies and approaches. 4. Capacity Development The Sector Development Plan strongly emphasises the capacity building of state institutions (DPHE, LGED, WASA) and local government institutions in both urban and rural areas, as well as private sector and NGOs. A capacity needs assessment was carried out, which found several areas for improvement, including technical, financial, social, environmental and institutional aspects. 7 P a g e

8 The Policy Support Branch has taken a number of initiatives to develop the capacity of mayors of urban LGIs on the issue of safe sanitation and dealing with safe disposal of sludge. WASHBAT (WASH Bottleneck Analysis) tools have also been introduced recently to identify and analyse bottleneck in WASH sector. A wide range of organisations including public, academic institutions and development partners, private sector has been involved in the process, and the exercise is meant to be started shortly. Research and development (R&D) have been prioritised within DPHE and LGED to identify innovative and appropriate technologies, and build operation and management models and effective community engagement for cost-effective and efficient WASH services. ITN-BUET is currently acting as knowledge hub to provide sectoral and sub-sectoral (WASH) training and orientation. The Government of Bangladesh has also reformed the Local Consultative Groups (LCGs) associations of bilateral and multilateral donors working in Bangladesh with participation of other stakeholders, including government agencies and the NGOs and taken initiatives for restructuring and revitalizing of different thematic groups of WASH sector. Overall, knowledge and information on the WASH sector are being gathered, reviewed, and updated throughout the country, and linked with global processes such as JMP, MICS, GLAAS etc. 5. Planning, Monitoring and Review In line with the high importance given by the government to the preparation and implementation of the SDGs, the LGD has been given the responsibility of facilitating, coordinating and monitoring the SDG WASH indicators. The institutional arrangements and the modalities of SDG 6.1 and 6.2 implementation have been prepared, and key activities have been identified in these initial stages. These activities include establishing the acts and regulation regime, improving policies and strategies, and setting up a coordination mechanism. A road map for the SDG implementation schedule has also been prepared. According to National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation (NPSWSS) 1998, the NFWSS is responsible for coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the sector activities. In addition, there is a National Sanitation Task Force, chaired by the Secretary of the LGD. It was established in mid-2004 to achieve the national goal of 100 percent sanitation by The task force has three sub-committees, including a sub-committee for monitoring the action plan to ensure sanitation for all by the revised 2013 deadline. However, due to differences in the definition of sanitation coverage between the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) report of UNICEF and World Health Organization (the official UN agencies for tracking global achievement of MDGs/SDGs) and the National Sanitation Secretariat (housed in DPHE) report, an independent Monitoring and Evaluation Committee with BUET as its convener has been established. It needs to be highlighted here that according to the National Sanitation Strategy 2005, the National Sanitation Secretariat should determine the monitoring mechanism and parameters, and verify the data received from all levels (i.e. from ward to city to national). At local level, the focal institution is the union WatSan committee chaired by the Union Parishad 8 P a g e

9 Chairman. The Chairman chairs a committee on monitoring and evaluation of the Pro-Poor Strategy for Water and Sanitation Sector, whereby the ward WatSan committees are required to submit the minutes of the monthly meetings regarding the current WatSan situation to the Union Parishads, with special focus on the situation of the extreme poor. Furthermore, under the umbrella of the Local Consultative Group (LCG), a sub-group for water and sanitation shares information and experiences, discusses issues and challenges, coordinates, monitors and harmonises sector development activities. 5.1 WASH Bangladesh sector information systems Feedback to stakeholder sand public Planning, policy and strategy development Define need for surveys and studies A. Overall Sector Performance Monitoring B. Management Information for Sector Institutions DPHE coverage database DPHE ground water database Sanitation Secretariat database WASA database LGED database on infrastructure WARPO, BWDB, BDDA, RDA data NGO Database C. Sample Surveys and Special Studies Benchmarking and best practices GLAAS, MICS, BDHS, Hygiene Baseline Information dissemination to sector stakeholders Inform policy and strategy development Figure 21: Simplified overview of the WASH Bangladesh sector information systems a. Overall water sector performance monitoring: Initially, SDG 6.1 and 6.2 key indicators for monitoring the performance of the WSS sector, for example, coverage of water supply and sanitation b. Management Information of Sector Institutions: Detailed information systems in sector institutions, including NGOs, for monitoring progress related to the mandate of the institution, mainly used for progress and performance monitoring. These institutions will include relevant indicators out of the SDG 6.1 and 6.2 key indicators in their monitoring and reporting system. c. Sample Surveys and Special Studies: Availing the results of special studies on sector issues like the value for money studies, special in-depth studies on rights issues, gender, water 9 P a g e consumption patterns, efficiency in irrigation, and so on. This includes a system for making the research and studies reports available, for example, through links to the PSB s website for all sector stakeholders to benefit from the documentation.

10 5.1 Sectoral Issues The key issues that need to be addressed to ensure better coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the WSS sector activities are highlighted below. Proliferation of committees and groups: While the committees and the groups at the national level have generally made useful contributions to coordination, monitoring and evaluation of sector activities, the WSS sector would stand to benefit if the existing large number of committees and groups could be reduced and rationalised. Concerns have been raised that having such large numbers of committees and groups has often led to meeting fatigue, given the participation of the same set of officials on many occasions, and created an overlap of functions, thereby resulting in inadequate use of human and financial resources and time. Inadequate institutional capacity of national agencies and local institutions: As the focal agency for the WSS sector, the existing staff of DPHE generally lack the capacity to effectively monitor and evaluate sector activities. Specifically, there is a need for considerable improvements at all levels in keeping proper records of data and information, and updating and publishing them on a regular basis. A case in point is the DPHE Data Book that was last updated in The Data Book contained operational information on the Paurashavas with performance indicators, and is supposed to be published annually. Similarly, there is also a lack of data in the information systems within the Paurashavas and city corporations. At the local level, the union WatSan committees are also generally weak. According to the NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, an assessment of the capacity of the Union Parishads which participated in their programmes using 16 performance indicators showed that only 50 percent were capable of leading implementation of WatSan activities satisfactorily, while 35 percent were partly capable, and the remaining 15 percent were less capable. Inadequate sector-wide information: Firstly, while individual government and nongovernment organisations in the WSS sector have their own coordination, monitoring and evaluation arrangements, these are mostly development project-specific and do not adequately address the issue of overall WSS sector coverage and performance. Secondly, the use of definitions, terminology and methodology to monitor and evaluation the progress of the key indicators of the sector often varies from agency to agency, making compilation and comparison difficult. 5.2 Action points for Sector Coordination and Monitoring To ensure the effective coordination and measurement of the sector s performance, the following measures are under process: Streamline the existing committees and groups at the national level: At the national level, the NFWSS would be the single lead committee, with two sub-committees under it: i) Policy and Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Additional Secretary-Water Supply wing in LGD ii) 10 P a g e

11 Technical Supply Committee chaired by Chief Engineer of DPHE, comprising members of the existing thematic groups. The National Forum would be the central platform for stakeholders participation in national events and would also be responsible for sector coordination and monitoring. The Policy and Monitoring Committee would be responsible for policy, strategy and progress against the WASH-related targets of the SDGs, as well as institutional and financial issues. It would also look after coordination with the government agencies, the NGOs and the private sector and the functioning of the sector information system (SIS). The Technical Committee would look after technical aspects and the functioning of the thematic groups. The WSS subgroup of the LCG, which is essentially a Development Partners platform, would coordinate with the two committees as and when required. Develop and implement the SIS: The WSS sector requires a dedicated SIS operated by trained staff with adequate financial and physical resources, to monitor progress towards achieving the targets and informing government, DPs and the public on sector progress. The indicators to track the sector s performance should be simple, measurable and manageable. Accordingly, it is recommended that the LGD consider using, at the initial stage, SDG 6.1 and 6.2 key sector indicators which the national and local institutions in the sector and capable of generating data for. 6. Sector Financing Although the total national allocation on WASH is not clear yet, observing the historical trend of allocation by major players in this sector indicates that the amount remains low, ranging between 5 percent and 8 percent of the National Development Budget. A study in 2016 found that while allocation of public funds to the sector increased by almost three times in absolute terms, it decreased slightly in relative terms from 5.16% of the national budget in, 2007 to 5.03% in 2015 (Process Mapping, Community Participation, and Bottleneck Analysis in WASH Budget Allocation and Distribution from National to UP level, Human Development Resource Centre, 2016). Although the importance of WASH for development is now a universally accepted phenomenon, and WASH is a separate goal under the SDGs, the total amount of WASH financing required to meet the minimum WASH demand for people has not been explored yet. Nor has any attempt been made to develop a national WASH account that could be used as to determine WASH expenditures accurately at different levels of the public and private sector, and identify associated gaps in financing. However, in 2017, an attempt was made to estimate the total investment required per annum to meet the SDG targets. Bangladesh will require an estimated amount of US$975 million per year to achieve the water, sanitation and hygiene related SDG targets. The largest share of the investments will be targeted at provision of drinking water for urban and rural areas. Currently, the financing gap is estimated at US$427 million per annum, the bulk of which is for water supply at 64% of the total amount. The amount for sanitation is 11 P a g e

12 relatively low, as emphasis will be on increasing household participation in construction and ownership of sanitation facilities, especially in rural areas (Bangladesh Overview: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, High Level Ministerial Meeting (HLM), April 2017) Investment Required for WASH SDGs (US$ million) Required Investment Available Amount Gap Drinking Water Sanitation Hygiene Total Source: HLM, 2017 Financing gaps can be met through a mix of resources, public, private, domestic and international, but given the constraints of feasible domestic revenue in countries facing widespread poverty and economic fragility, substantial increases in aid will need to be part of the equation. Reaching the poor will require targeted, inclusive and innovative interventions that are able to surpass financial, social, and geographical barriers. Equitable WASH access can even contribute other SDG targets such as improving health and nutritional outcomes. If necessary, water supply and sanitation should be established as a sector in the countries with dedicated ministries and separate budget code to deal with the extensive actions required to achieve multiple targets under SDG Planned Actions for Achievement of SDG 6.2 requires regular monitoring of both access and quality aspects of WASH services, including household access to safely managed sanitation, and issues of acceptability, availability, quality, and affordability. This will require robust new mechanisms to improve WASH governance and capacity development at national and sub-national levels. Alongside, if necessary, water supply and sanitation may be established as a sector with separate budget codes to introduce greater transparency, accountability and accuracy in the extensive actions that will be required to achieve the multiple targets under SDG 6. Financing gaps remain a concern for the sector. Though these gaps can be met partially through a mix of public and private resources, given constraints around sufficient domestic revenue in a country still tackling poverty and climate change effect and disaster vulnerability, substantial increases in international support needs to be considered as an important part of the equation. For Bangladesh, the long-term (FY ) investment required for even moderate service level 12 P a g e

13 was estimated at BDT 1,465,520 million (US$20,936 million) according to the Sector Development Plan, which would require a substantial increase in annual WASH allocation compared to the present level. New approaches and technologies will also be necessary to ensure faecal sludge management an integral dimension of target 6.2. Developing a proper implementation plan aligned with the Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Faecal Sludge Management will be instrumental to progress on FSM. Reaching the poor and those living in hard-to-reach and climate vulnerable areas will require targeted, inclusive and innovative interventions that are able to surpass financial, social, and geographical barriers. Equitable WASH access can also contribute other SDG targets such as improving health and nutritional outcomes. Credible country-level mechanisms are needed for monitoring key outcomes such as improvements in sanitation coverage, achievement of open defecation-free households and communities, equitable and sustainable delivery of services including solid and liquid waste management, and hygiene behaviour change. People-driven approaches will be emphasised in this regard, and local bodies, school children and youth, marginalised groups especially women and girls, persons with disabilities, civil society, media, academia and the private sector will be actively involved to accelerate sanitation and hygiene outcomes. Actions need to be taken immediately to implement school sanitation and hygiene including menstrual hygiene management. Furthermore, adequate, inclusive and safe institutional sanitation and hygiene, including but not limited to educational and health facilities, transport hubs, market and work places, will be ensured progressively. Emerging and innovative approaches like Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP) will be instrumental in this regard. Bangladesh is committed to achieve SDG 6.2 by ensuring access to safe water and sanitation for all, well ahead of its target date of Attention in this phase will be concentrated on service coverage and improving service level, technological innovation, sustainability in hard-to-reach and disaster-prone areas, faecal sludge management, public toilets and sanitation in public transport, and mainstreaming school sanitation and hygiene. 13 P a g e