WaterAid organised an inception workshop of “WASH Systems of Health” project at Pan Pacific Sonargaon on Saturday, 26 October 2024. The workshop was graced by Chief Engineer, Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Engineer Tushar Mohon Shadhu Khan as the chief guest. Special guests included Dr Md Khairul Islam, Regional Director- South Asia, WaterAid, Ms Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh, Mr Rashid Zaman, Health Portfolio Lead, British High Commission (BHC) Dhaka, Mr Swe Min Zaw, Deputy Secretary, Policy Support Branch, Dr Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Director General (In-Charge), Bangladesh National Nutrition Council Office, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Dr Md Zainal Abedin Tito, Line Director, Hospital Services Management, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Officials from local municipalities, several I/NGOs, private sector actors, and consortium organisation, SNV Bangladesh were also present at the event.
The project led by WaterAid-SNV consortium and funded with the UK International Development from the UK government, aims to address critical sector blockages to address context specific WASH challenges at national and sub national levels in Bangladesh. The approach involves strengthening local governance through government-led planning, monitoring, and regulation; fostering community engagement and women’s leadership; developing resilient infrastructure and professional service models for rural water supply and urban sanitation; and leveraging project learnings to influence national policies.
Chief Engineer, Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Engineer Tushar Mohon Shadhu Khan stated, “We must strengthen healthcare systems at the upazila level. The challenges in the project locations are critical, and I hope the project addresses them through a feasibility study to bridge the gaps between health systems and WASH systems. It’s essential to focus on the sustainability of the infrastructure we build in communities and promote behavior change among the people.”
Dr Md Khairul Islam, Regional Director- South Asia, WaterAid stated, “We must integrate health systems and WASH systems into one another, allocate resources equitably, and ensure that access to safe WASH services starts from health clinics, complexes and hospitals at the upazila level.”
Mr Rashid Zaman, Health Portfolio Lead, British High Commission (BHC) Dhaka said, “While we have made significant health strides during COVID-19, we must continue our efforts and ensure sustainability in health and WASH outcomes. The recent unprecedented flood crises have yet again highlighted the importance of WASH, and thus the need for collaboration to scale up our efforts based on lessons learned.”
Dr Md Zainal Abedin Tito, Line Director, Hospital Services Management, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), stated, “Safely managed sanitation goes beyond just good toilets; it is also about proper waste management. We must help people understand that access to safe drinking water and sanitation is crucial to prevent diarrhoeal diseases and foster hygiene practices to create a healthier Bangladesh.”
In Bangladesh, comprehensive WASH policies exist. Yet, local governments encounter significant barriers such as resource gaps, inadequate capacity, lack of women leadership, and ineffective service delivery models. Despite significant progress in access to basic services, the journey towards safely managed WASH is alarmingly slow. Only 61% have access to safely managed water, and 20% have access to safely managed sanitation.
The project “WASH Systems of Health” will aim to address these challenges by transitioning communities from basic to safely managed water and sanitation services in two climate vulnerable areas – Paikgacha and Lalmonirhat, thereby reducing preventable deaths of mothers, children, and infants due to WASH related diseases.