Water, sanitation and hygiene, shortly WASH, campaigners have urged the government to increase budget allocations by at least five percent to ensure water and sanitation for all, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
At a pre-budget press conference in Dhaka, representatives from several non-governmental organizations, including WaterAid, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA), Bangladesh Faecal Sludge Management Network, and Sanitation and Water for All, called for addressing disparities in WASH-related funding for rural, urban, regional, and hard-to-reach areas.
Economist and PPRC Executive Chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman highlighted the need for equitable distribution of funds, especially in disadvantaged areas prone to climate risks such as char, haor, and hilly regions. "There is a need to address the disparity in fund distribution between urban and disadvantaged areas under climate risk," he said.
Rahman also emphasised the importance of adequate budget allocations for developing suitable sanitation facilities for women, children, and disabled persons in public places and institutions.
Speakers at the conference noted that while there has been an upward trend in budget allocation for WASH up to the 2022-23 fiscal year, the growth in WASH-related funding has not kept pace with the overall increase in the annual development plan (ADP). They cited that growth in WASH allocations (5.44%) has lagged behind the growth in the ADP (7.4%).
Concerns were also raised about the underutilization of WASH budget allocations, evident until the 2022-23 fiscal year. During the Q&A session, participants questioned the rationale for increasing the budget when some WASH projects showed limited sustainability after their short-term completion.
Rahman concluded the conference by stressing that both budget allocation and behavioural change among the population are crucial for the sustainability of WASH projects.
