In a joint press conference held by leading organizations including WaterAid, PPRC, UNICEF, FANSA, BAWIN, FSM Network, Sanitation and Water for All, and End Water Poverty, urgent calls were made for the allocation of funds targeting Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in the upcoming national budget for the fiscal year 2023-24.
The speakers emphasized the need to address spatial inequalities and promote community engagement within the WASH sector.
Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, an eminent economist and Chairman of PPRC, delivered a keynote speech on behalf of WASH sector stakeholders.
He emphasized the importance of prioritizing spatial inequality and community engagement in the allocation of funds. Dr. Rahman underscored the significance of focusing on underserved areas, such as chars, climate vulnerable areas, haors, and hilly regions, as well as addressing intra-urban inequities.
He emphasized the allocation of funds for Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) in secondary towns and urbanized villages, adopting a multi-agency policy approach to achieve the national targets of 100% Safe Drinking Water and 100% Safely Managed Sanitation, which align with the SDG goals.
A WASH Budget Analysis Study conducted by PPRC, with support from WaterAid, revealed a long-term upward trend in WASH ADP allocation. However, the proportionate increase in the preceding fiscal year (5.44%) was lower than the overall ADP size increase (7.4%).
According to the HIES 2022 findings, 92.32% of the population has access to improved toilet facilities, while open defecation remains at only 0.69%. The commendable projects by DPHE on WASH, DRR, and Fecal Sludge and Waste Management (FSWM) were also highlighted for building resilience through disaster risk communication and community engagement.
The press conference shed light on the persisting issue of intra-urban inequities in WASH allocation and proposed a more rational and equitable distribution of funds in the upcoming ADP allocations for 2023-2024.
It further called for increased ADP allocation for all four Water and Sewerage Authorities (WASAs) and urged policy-level resolutions to address remaining inequities among them.
The conference emphasized the need to address urban-rural inequities to achieve National Priority Targets (NPT) in the WASH sector aligned with SDG 6. Additionally, it stressed the importance of prioritizing environment, climate change, and disaster-related initiatives in the WASH sector.
Recommendations included scaling up successful projects on environmental sanitation, implementing more projects in climate vulnerable areas, and allocating funds for solid waste management and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) in emergency situations.
Hasin Jahan, Country Director of WaterAid, expressed concerns over the inadequate allocation of funds for the WASH sector in the proposed budget, especially considering the increasing challenges posed by climate change in areas such as Haor, hilly, coastal, and char regions.
She emphasized that achieving SDG targets for water and improved sanitation goes beyond coverage, requiring funds for quality and safely managed WASH services, as well as technical expertise in project implementation.
In conclusion, the WASH sector networks jointly recommended the following for the FY2023-24 ADP Allocation in the WASH sector: better attention to hard-to-reach areas and intra-urban inequities, increased allocation for Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) to address emerging challenges, adopting a multi-agency policy approach, prioritizing environment, climate change, and disaster hotspots, and allocating funds for projects focusing on climate change, disaster resilience, risk communication, and community engagement.
The stakeholders' recommendations aim to ensure a more equitable and effective allocation of funds to address spatial inequalities and enhance water, sanitation, and hygiene services throughout the nation.