Bangladesh

In an increasingly urbanizing world, Water1st’s most significant discovery has been our partner in Bangladesh, Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK). DSK has pioneered a highly-effective means of providing water, toilets, and hygiene education to an urban slum environment.

We began funding DSK in two slum areas in Dhaka in 2006. Since then, they have demonstrated the ability to scale up and spread out. With increased Water1st funding, DSK now implements hundreds of projects a year in Bangladesh’s three largest cities of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Khulna.

The incorporation of micro-lending into the DSK operation model has proven highly effective. Water systems and toilets are not given away. Users must repay the full construction cost to DSK within 1-2 years. Repayment rates have exceeded 96%. These repaid loans are then used to fund more projects. Currently, 49% of our annual budget for Bangladesh comes from repaid loans, leveraging even greater impact.

ABOUT BANGLADESH*

Population: 164,700,000
% living on less than $1.90/day: 15%
Partner: Dushtha Shasthya Kendra

COMPLETED PROJECTS

4,366 projects
199,276 people with clean water and toilets

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

100 loan-based projects serving 4,000 people

*Source: World Bank and UNICEF

Program Highlights

The Character of DSK Shines Bright
The urban slum communities we support in Bangladesh consist of hard-working rickshaw drivers, domestic & textile workers, and other low-wage earners. They survive one day at a time, without personal savings or a safety net. When their work is disrupted by a pandemic, their families are instantly impacted and at great risk. Our partner organization, DSK, is second-to-none when it comes to the technical aspects of our systems, and is also deeply committed to the health, economic security, and dignity of the people they serve. DSK is working tirelessly to mobilize urban slum communities to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19. They are going door-to-door to educate residents on transmission pathways of disease and hygiene practices people can use to protect themselves, including frequent handwashing, wearing masks, and sanitizing home environments.

Slum residents have no legal access to public water supply or sewer systems

Water1st works in urban slums in Bangladesh’s three largest cities—the capital, Dhaka (population 18 million), Chattogram, (4 million), and Khulna (1 million). They have no legal access to public water supply or sewer systems. Adding to the crisis is the rapid increase in urban slum populations in Bangladesh: 150,000-400,000 new residents arrive each year from rural areas seeking a better life for their families.

In these squatter settlements, renters are forced to buy water of unknown quality at very expensive rates. There are no sewer pipes in these neighborhoods, so waste from ‘open’ toilets flows right through the community, making living conditions extremely unhygienic, and sanitary toilets a high priority.

Piped Water

Water1st encourages the adoption of piped water networks, which provide the best results at the lowest long-term cost. In our piped network systems, water is pumped to an elevated storage tank. From the storage tank, water flows to one or more locations in the slum settlement, providing ample water to residents for drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry.

High-quality toilets

DSK incorporates high-quality toilets that are easily distinguishable from most other toilets built by NGOs around the world. They use a porcelain pan for easy cleaning and a water seal that makes them odorless. Water faucets are placed in the stalls for flushing, cleaning, and hand washing.

Hygiene education

A comprehensive hygiene education program addresses the community’s most challenging health issues. Various trainings are targeted to those who care for young children, to adolescent girls entering puberty, and to special groups like food and tea vendors. These trainings result in dramatic changes in hygiene behavior and significant gains in health indicators.

Sustainable Programmatic Strategy

Community organizing

Our local partner, DSK, takes a participatory approach to project implementation. The process starts with a community mapping exercise to identify local housing, shops, roads, mosques, and of course, water sources and toilets. Communities vote on their highest-priority issues and then create an action plan to solve them. Water supply is commonly identified as the most critical need; not surprising when slum communities report spending up to 40% of their annual income treating water-related illnesses.

REVOLVING LOANS

Users of the water systems and toilets are required to pay 100% of the construction costs via a long-term, low-interest loan. The loan approach insures water systems and toilets are built for those who really want and need them. With repayment rates exceeding 96%, we have nearly doubled our reach and rate of project completion.

Water is the catalyst

Once neighborhoods have organized themselves to solve their water and sanitation problems, they are prepared to tackle other high-priority issues, such as trash collection, roads, and improved drainage. Water committees have organized household garbage collection for a small monthly fee. Each day, a paid garbage crew collects waste and transports it to a government-approved dump site.

Independent rating

Received an independent evidence-based evaluation from the Water for Life Rating System and scoring “Recommended for Future Funding.”

Take a virtual tour of a typical project:

URBAN SLUMS, BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is considered the world’s most densely populated country with 2,900 people per square mile. Compare this to 83 people per square mile for the USA and 360 for China.

Water1st works in urban and peri-urban slums in the 3 largest cities in Bangladesh - the capital, Dhaka, population 15 million; Chittagong, population 4 million; and Khulna, population 1 million.

Approximately one in four residents of these cities live in slum communities with no legal access to public water supply and sewer. It is estimated that as many as 90% of slum dwellers lack access to safe water and 85% lack access to hygienic toilets.

Adding to the crisis is the rapid increase in urban slum populations in Bangladesh: 150,000 - 400,000 new residents arrive each year from rural areas seeking a better life for their families.

In these squatter settlements, the poor are forced to buy water of unknown quality at very expensive rates from illegal connections or draw water from severely contaminated rivers and canals.

In most poor neighborhoods, there are no sewer pipes and ‘open’ toilets (meaning not connected to a sewer system) flow right through the community. This is why toilets are a high priority in our project areas.

This photo was taken during a cholera outbreak. In Bangladesh, there is a spike in diarrhea patients each year during the dry season. People are hot and need more water, but less water is available, so they turn to sources that are more contaminated.

Our local partner organization, DSK, has pioneered effective water supply and sanitation interventions in urban slum environments. DSK offers users a range of options for water and toilets.

DSK builds water seal toilets with porcelain bowls—features we enjoy too because it means toilets are odor-free and easy to use and clean.

DSK requires users of the water systems and toilets to pay 100% of the construction costs via a long-term, low-interest loan. Water1st provides the capital for these loans as well as grant support for mobilizing and training communities.

Repayment rates have been very high (96+%). Repaid loan funds are used to fund more projects. Currently, 40% of our annual budget for Bangladesh comes from repaid loans.

All construction work is preceded by a well-organized effort to help community members prioritize their needs. This starts with a mapping exercise to identify local houses, shops, roads, mosques, and of course, water sources and any toilets or places for defecation.

Communities vote on their highest priority issues and then create a plan for solving them. It is common to see water supply (listed first) and voted as the biggest need. Medicine to treat diarrhea is often a major expenditure, even higher than rent.

For users within their service area, DSK has negotiated with the public water supply agencies to establish community water points that connect to public water supply pipelines. All connections are metered and the users pay a monthly bill based on volume used.

Because the public water supply is irregular, storage is built and users access the water when they need it via a hand-pump.

Users outside the public water supply service area can drill wells to establish their own water source.

After drilling, the water is tested for bacteriological contaminants, arsenic and nitrates. Water quality continues to be monitored after the well is in use. Users of the system and our local partner both keep copies of the test results.

Water is pumped to elevated storage tanks by a submersible pump or a less-expensive air compressor. Even though it means higher loan repayments, most users are choosing the submersible pump because it provides better service.

Water is piped from the storage tank to one or more locations in the settlement, providing ample water to residents for drinking, cooking, laundry and bathing.

A huge benefit of the piped water system is that water can be provided inside the toilet/shower stalls for washing hands, flushing toilets, cleaning toilets, and bathing.

Water is also provided at schools, workplaces, and public markets. DSK's goal is that people have clean water everywhere they go.

Toilets are also built in schools and public places.

Our local partner organizes different groups of people in neighborhoods to talk about hygiene education. This is a children’s group.

There are also women’s groups and adolescent girls’ groups (to talk specifically about menstrual hygiene). They also reach out to men at tea stalls, where they often gather to drink tea and socialize.

Once neighborhoods have organized to solve their water and sanitation problems, we often see them address other high priority issues like trash collection and drainage.

Water committees have joined together to set up garbage collection for a small monthly fee. A paid garbage crew comes by each day to collect waste and dump it in an area away from homes and approved by the city government.

The result of all these efforts is completely transformation in slum communities. We are very proud of DSK's efforts to bring dignity and basic services to the urban poor of Bangladesh.

Stories from the field

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