Md. Saifur Rahman
Chief Engineer
Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE)
Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) is the national lead agency for water supply and sanitation facilities in Bangladesh. Providing utmost priority to water supply and sanitation which is also globally recognized as a human right, the Government of Bangladesh formed the department under the administrative control of Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives to serve this purpose. From the commencement to now the department has shown its ability not only in effective plan, design and implementation of WASH technologies but also in the field of research & development, water resource management, water quality including arsenic mitigation, environmental sanitation, hygiene promotion, building capacity of the private sector, GO-NGO co-ordination and addressing vulnerable groups including women and children. It is now playing important role in formulation, revision and implementation of WSS related legislations, policies and strategies and making contribution towards the safely managed water supply and sanitation system to achieve SDG targets including disaster management and climate change.
Water Supply:
Over the last decade, the world has witnessed exemplary achievements in education, health, sanitation, and gender issues because of sincere efforts and commitment of the Governments to create a just and equitable society. Bangladesh also made significant achievement in these areas, Bangladesh contributed to its commitments to the MDG 7, to halve the population without access to improved drinking water sources, by ensuring that an additional 65 million people gained access to improved water sources between 1990 and 2015 (JMP, 2015). Consequently access to improved water sources increased remarkably from 68% to 87% between 1990 and 2015, with the implication that Bangladesh was able to achieve its MDG target for water, three years before the end of the MDG era.
DPHE also giving emphasis to increase the use of surface water in the urban water supply to reduce the ground water dependency. Presently DPHE supported 19 Town to use surface water from different rivers for water supply. Another 8 town water supply from 7 different rivers are under implementation.
At present safe water supply coverage in Bangladesh is 87% (86%-point source, 1%-piped water). Government of Bangladesh is now committed to achieve the target of SDG. SDG target 6.1 is 'By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all'. The indicator of SDG 6.1 is the safely managed water supply coverage and the target is 100% by 2030. Following the JMP 2017 thematic report, at present safely managed water supply coverage in Bangladesh is 56%. In rural area safely managed water coverage is 61%.
On other hand, present Government would make a time befitting plan to implement “My village, my town” vision. Many components of the plan have already been included in the 7th five year plan and long term perspective plan. Government would create the civic amenities of urban areas for rural people which include pure drinking water and healthcare facilities.
DPHE under the dynamic lead of Local Government division has already start formulating multi-tasking projects to achieve “My village, my town” vision.
Sanitation and Hygiene:
Bangladesh has a global success story in sanitation. This journey was started in 1954 when DPHE and WHO accepted a ‘Action Research Programme” to reduce the effect of Cholera. In 1979, BUET and DPHE through their jointly research introduced robust slab for water seal of latrine and Ferro-cement slab. By the jointly effort of DPHE and UNICEF, at the end of decade 90, Sanitation coverage was achieved only 16%. After then, in 1991, 10 years national sanitation strategy was introduced and from then sanitation activities can get speed across the whole country.
In Bangladesh a nationwide baseline survey conducted for the first time in 2003 revealed that improved sanitation coverage was only 33% and 42% of the population had no latrine for defecation. According to the JMP report in 2015, only 1% of the population are practicing open defecation, 10% of the population are using unimproved latrines, 28% of the population are sharing latrines and 61% of the population are using improved latrines (WHO/UNICEF, 2015). This indicates that improved sanitation coverage in the country is increased by 28% since 2003.
The MDG target called for halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to basic sanitation between 1990 and 2015. Population coverage by improved Sanitation increased from 34% to 61% mainly by reducing Open Defecation. In spite of good progress, the Bangladesh missed the MDG Target by 6%, Global Sanitation missed by 9%.
According to JMP 2017 report, at present improved sanitation coverage in Bangladesh is 61%. In rural area, safely managed sanitation is 32%.
To achieve SDG and “My village, my town” vision, as a road map some initiatives should be taken-
n Accelerate sanitation coverage to 2.6%/yr. to achieve 100% coverage by improved sanitation and upgrade the improved and shared facilities to safely managed facilities at the same time to achieve SDG .
n Reach the unreached palaces and population and improve hygiene practices.
n Develop appropriate climate resilient sanitation technologies as well as safe disposal of faecal sludge.
n Development projects should be taken in-corpora ting “My village, my town” vision.
Faecal Sludge Management
Septage or Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) is an integral part of safely managed sanitation. Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), a national agency under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (MoLGRD&C), is entrusted to provide safe water supply, environmental sanitation and hygiene education as mandated throughout the country except the city corporation area.
Local Government Division has already been published Institutional Regulatory Framework for FSM for Mega City, City Corporations, Pourashavas and Rural Areas and now under the guidance of Local Government Division, Development of National Action Plans for Implementation of IRF for FSM is in progress.
For implementing IRF for FSM, DPHE has been taken different initiatives. FSM activities are in implementation stage in Eighty Nine (89) Pourashavas with financed by the Government of Bangladesh, Islamic Development bank and The World Bank. A feasibility study is going on in 53 District level Pourashavas and 8 City Corporations for rapid assessment of existing conditions and management systems of Solid waste and faecal sludge in those areas with the assistance of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Besides this different project proposals are going to be implemented regarding Fecal Sludge and Solid Waste Management in 112 municipalities gradually.
DPHE has been established FSM Support Cell with a view to initiate capacity development and knowledge sharing activities for the LGIs, setting monitoring indicators, monitoring platforms and reporting with the assistance of different development project. It is our pleasure that Bill and Melinda Gated Foundation (BMGF) came forward with their assistance to several FSM projects and programs in Bangladesh. Under an MoU, BMGF giving grant to ITN-BUET for supporting specific FSM implementation (both technologies and approaches), capacity building to the selected stakeholders, and setting up monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the progress on safe disposal of fecal waste.
DPHE, to realize the pledge “My village, my town.” formulating several projects for ensuring services and facilities of safely managed sanitation, waste and septage management for the Growth Centers and Upazilas to meet the targets and SDG 6.2.
