A $100 million financing agreement was signed between the government and the World Bank to ensure safe water and sanitation in 30 municipalities across the country, a press release of the World Bank said on Wednesday.
Around 6,00,000 people of those municipalities who currently do not have piped water facilities will be benefitted with improved water supply, sanitation, and drainage system under the Municipal Water Supply and Sanitation Project, the press release further said.
The project will facilitate public private partnerships and help build infrastructures including water treatment facility, water storage, transmission and distribution pipe network, house connections with meters as well as improved sanitation facilities in low income areas and slums.
World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Mercy Tembon said, “Today, more and more people are living in cities creating an urgent demand for quality urban infrastructures including water and sanitation services.”
“This project will help people living in small towns, including the slum dwellers get piped water and improved sanitation and drainage services. With greater access to clean water, the women will have more time otherwise spent for collecting water as well as health of their children will improve resulting in better school attendance,” Tembon said.
The project will help construct public toilets. It will invest in septage management and disposal as well as provide training to cleaning workers in fecal sludge management. It will also identify and mitigate measures for critical areas prone to flooding.
Monowar Ahmed, Secretary of Economic Relations Division, said: “In the Sector Development Plan and the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation, the government has aimed for 85 to 90 percent piped water supply coverage in municipalities by 2025.”
"The project will help the municipalities have greater capacity to manage and deliver water and sanitation services,” he said.
To facilitate citizen’s feedback, the project will develop mobile apps, IT enabled complaint redressal systems and annual citizen surveys.
The agreement was signed by Monowar Ahmed and Mercy Tembon on behalf of the government of Bangladesh and the World Bank respectively, at the Economic Relations Division in the capital.
