Assignment: SDG 6 in Bangladesh
Title: SDG 6 in Bangladesh: Current Status, Key Challenges, and Pathways
to Ensure Clean Water and Sanitation for All
Introduction
Bangladesh has made notable strides towards achieving Sustainable Development
Goal 6 (SDG 6) – Clean Water and Sanitation – but significant challenges persist. The
country's journey from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to SDGs has shifted the
focus from basic access to ensuring safely managed water and sanitation services,
which presents a more complex set of issues.
Progress and Current Status
Drinking Water: While Bangladesh has achieved widespread access to basic drinking
water, with high coverage rates (e.g., 59% of the population using a safely managed
drinking water service in 2022), the quality of water remains a critical concern.
Contamination by arsenic and microbial sources (like E. coli) is prevalent, particularly in
rural areas.
Sanitation: Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing open defecation to
nearly zero. However, achieving "safely managed sanitation" remains a major hurdle.
As of 2021, only 39% of the population had access to safely managed sanitation
services (JMP, 2021), with an urban-rural disparity.
Hygiene: Progress on basic hygiene indicators, such as handwashing facilities with
soap and water, is around 62% in 2022.
Key Challenges
Arsenic Contamination: A significant portion of groundwater sources, particularly
shallow tube wells, are naturally contaminated with arsenic, posing severe health risks.
Microbial Contamination: Poor sanitary practices and inadequate wastewater
treatment lead to widespread microbial contamination, contributing to waterborne
diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
Industrial Pollution: Untreated industrial effluents, as seen with the historical pollution
of the Buriganga River by tanneries, continue to threaten water bodies.
Safely Managed Services: The transition from simply "improved" to "safely managed"
water and sanitation requires robust infrastructure for water treatment, reliable piped
networks, and effective wastewater collection and treatment systems. Bangladesh faces
significant gaps in these areas, especially outside major urban centers.
Urban-Rural Disparity: Access to quality water and sanitation services is significantly
lower in rural and hard-to-reach areas, as well as in urban slums.
Climate Change Impacts: Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change.
Increased frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, cyclones, and salinity intrusion
(especially in coastal areas) severely impact water resources and damage WASH
infrastructure. This adds immense pressure to an already strained system.
Funding and Investment: The WASH sector in Bangladesh often faces underfunding.
While the government has policies in place, the allocation and efficient use of funds for
implementing these policies and projects remain a challenge.
Operation and Maintenance: Insufficient attention to the operation and maintenance of
existing water and sanitation infrastructure leads to their deterioration and reduced
functionality.
Capacity Gaps: A shortage of trained personnel in the WASH sector, particularly in
rural areas, hinders the development and maintenance of facilities.
Pathways to Achieving SDG 6 in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh, along with development partners and NGOs, is
undertaking various initiatives to address these challenges:
Policy Frameworks: The "National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation-Revised
and Updated Edition 2021" provides a comprehensive framework to guide the WASH
sector, aligning with SDG 6.
Arsenic Mitigation Programs: Efforts include drilling deeper wells and installing
community-based arsenic removal filters.
Wastewater Treatment Plants: The establishment of central effluent treatment plants,
like the one for tanneries in Savar, aims to reduce industrial pollution.
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Projects: Projects like the Bangladesh Rural
Water Supply and Sanitation Project (BRWSSP) are focused on increasing safe water
supply and hygienic sanitation in arsenic or saline-affected rural areas.
Rainwater Harvesting: Implementation of rainwater harvesting systems is promoted,
especially in areas prone to both flooding and drought, to increase access to safe water.
Conclusion
Bangladesh's journey towards achieving SDG 6 is characterized by significant progress
in basic access, particularly in eradicating open defecation. However, the more
ambitious targets of "safely managed" services, coupled with the pervasive issues of
water quality (arsenic and microbial contamination), climate change impacts, and
urban-rural disparities, present formidable obstacles. Sustained investment, innovative
technologies, strengthened institutional capacity, and robust community engagement
will be crucial for Bangladesh to ensure clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
References
1. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. (n.d.). Bangladesh |
Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Sustainable Development Goals.
Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/basic-page/bangladesh-24739
2. SDG 6 Data Portal. (n.d.). Bangladesh - Country (or area) | SDG 6 Data.
Retrieved from https://www.sdg6data.org/country-or-area/Bangladesh
3. UNICEF Bangladesh. (n.d.). Water, sanitation and hygiene - Bangladesh.
Retrieved from
https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/water-sanitation-and-hygiene
4. WaterAid Bangladesh. (n.d.). Homepage. Retrieved from
https://www.wateraid.org/bd/
5. World Bank. (2016, October 7). Bangladesh: Improving Water Supply and
Sanitation. Retrieved from
https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2016/10/07/bangladesh-improving-water-su
pply-and-sanitation
6. ITN-BUET. (2021). National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation-Revised
and Updated Edition 2021. Retrieved from
https://itn.buet.ac.bd/web/resources/national-strategy-for-water-supply-and-sanita
tion-2021/
7. IUCN. (n.d.). CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER IN BANGLADESH. Retrieved
from https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/import/downloads/water.pdf
