Experts stressed the need for increasing allocation in the upcoming National Budget 2021-2022 to address the overwhelming challenges posed by Covid-19.
A sustainable and long-term solution to defeat Covid-19 lies in ensuring everyone has access to water-soap and awareness on hygiene. In the wake of the second wave, and thwart another wave, immediate increased allocation is needed for WASH in FY2021-22.
Availability of clean water, soap and hygiene facilities are still lacking in major cities, including markets, bus terminals, public places, and institutions. Functional facilities are needed at hospitals and clinics in both urban and rural setting with running water, soap to avert widespread virus transmission, the speakers said.
The speakers made the remarks at a pre-budget virtual press conference jointly organised by WaterAid, UNICEF, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), FANSA-BD, FSM Network, Sanitation and Water for All, WASH Alliance and MHM Network on Sunday.
Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh Hasin Jahan said “We have noticed that Covid-19 has pushed many families to the poverty line. Many families have slashed their budgets on hygiene materials, especially women compromised their period products. So, utmost attention and actions are required to curtail additional VAT tax burden on sanitary products and reduce their prices to make these affordable”.
Chairman of PPRC Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said, “Water, sanitation, and hygiene must get the attention it deserves in the budget to defeat Covid-19 as well as to keep up with SDG six targets. Covid-19 has increased disparities and gaps in many forms, and utmost important to address inequities within Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector is a must to continue the commendable progress the government has demonstrated in SDGs achievement.”
Hygiene remains a neglected cross cutting sub-sector as allocation in hygiene remains low which if not given proper significant attention may prolong the pandemic, added Dr Rahman.
An analysis by the Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC), in collaboration with WaterAid and UNICEF, found that the Bangladesh government's initiatives in financing the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sector are commendable. This is because the allocation of funds in the national budget in the WASH sector from 2007-2008 to 2020-2021 has gradually increased from Tk 2,563 crore to Tk 12,127 crore. Despite a good increasing trend in the fiscal year 2020-21, less than 5 percent was allocated to hygiene in the WASH allocation under ADP allocation.
The analysis noted that there are continued disparities in the allocation of WASH budgets in different parts of the country considering the geographical location. Despite the high need for WASH budget allocations in rural, char, hilly and coastal areas; the cities and metropolitan received relatively high share of the allocations in recent years.
MICS 2019 of BBS finds that about 84.6 percent of households in Bangladesh have access to improved sanitation. But the survey also reveals that in terms of hygiene practices, knowledge is high in Bangladesh, but the practice of handwashing at key moments remains very low.
Another report says, only 40 percent of the population have access to basic hygiene facilities – a handwashing facilities with soap and water on premises (JMP 2017). A need for nation-wide campaign for Hand Hygiene for All and allocation for it has been highlighted in the press conference.
At the press conference, seven recommendations were jointly put forward for the proposed National Budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022.
