Experts urged for increasing the WASH allocation in the National Budget 2021-2022 to address the overwhelming challenges posed by Covid-19. A sustainable and long-term solution to defeating Covid-19 lies in ensuring everyone has access to water and soap and awareness on hygiene.
In the wake of the second wave, and thwart another wave, and immediately increased allocation is needed for WASH in FY2021-22.
Availability of clean water, soap, and hygiene facilities are still lacking in major cities, including markets, bus terminals, public places, and institutions. Functional facilities are needed at hospitals and clinics in both urban and rural settings with running water, soap to avert widespread virus transmission, the speakers said.
The speakers made the remarks at a pre-budget virtual press conference jointly organized by WaterAid, UNICEF, PPRC, FANSA-BD, FSM Network, Sanitation and Water for All, WASH Alliance, and MHM Network today.
Hasin Jahan, Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh said “We have noticed that Covid-19 has pushed many families to the poverty line. Many families have slashed their budgets on hygiene materials, especially women who compromised their period products. So, utmost attention and actions are required to curtail additional VAT tax burden on sanitary products and reduce their prices to make these affordable”.
Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairman of PPRC said, “Water, sanitation, and hygiene must get the attention it deserves in the budget to defeat Covid-19 as well as to keep up with SDG 6 targets. Covid-19 has increased disparities and gaps in many forms, and utmost importance to address inequities within WASH sector is a must to continue the commendable progress the government has demonstrated in SDGs achievement.”
Hygiene remains a neglected cross-cutting sub-sector as allocation in hygiene remains low which if not given proper significant attention may prolong the pandemic, added Dr. Rahman.
An analysis by the Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC), in collaboration with WaterAid and UNICEF, found that the Bangladesh government’s initiatives in financing the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sector are commendable. This is because the allocation of funds in the national budget in the WASH sector from 2007-2008 to 2020-2021 has gradually increased from Tk 2,563 crore to Tk 12,127 crore. Despite a good increasing trend in the fiscal year 2020-21, less than 5 percent was allocated to hygiene in the WASH allocation under ADP allocation.
The analysis noted that there are continued disparities in the allocation of WASH budgets in different parts of the country considering the geographical location. Despite the high need for WASH budget allocations in rural, char, hilly and coastal areas; the cities and metropolitan received a relatively high share of the allocations in recent years.
MICS 2019 of BBS finds that about 84.6 percent of households in Bangladesh have access to improved sanitation. But the survey also reveals that in terms of hygiene practices, knowledge is high in Bangladesh, but the practice of handwashing at key moments remains very low. Another report says, only 40 percent of the population have access to basic hygiene facilities – handwashing facilities with soap and water on-premises (JMP 2017). A need for the nationwide campaign for Hand Hygiene for All and allocation for it has been highlighted in the press conference.
-Recommendations-
* A holistic rethinking of WASH priorities with a particular focus on elevating hygiene from a mere footnote to a mainstream agenda is suggested as a policy window to fight COVID 19 pandemic.
* Steps to explore the linkages between hygiene and health and under-nutrition, particularly of adolescent girls and children are required.
* Updating of the National Hygiene Promotion Strategy in the light of Covid-19 realities and SDGs implementation is required.
* Mainstreaming hygiene effectively requires developing hygiene issues and practices agenda encompassing both personal spaces – and social spaces.
* Resource mobilization and action plan needed on creating handwashing stations in public and market spaces, public and private offices, and regular demonstrations to ensure their functionality.
* Address the persisting policy bias that results in spatial inequities in WASH allocations to reduce the coverage gaps. The budget should focus on the multi-sectoral and multi-agency approach to improve nutrition and hygiene through handwashing and other hygiene practices as conceived in the 8th Five Year Plan 2020-2025
* Recent initiatives on implementing water-related environmental and risk reduction projects are treated as a progressive step, and more projects with required budgetary provision are suggested for inclusion and continuation of environment-friendly solar water desalination treatment plants in the coastal strip of the country.
You may download the Policy Brief in English and Bangla: drive.google.com.
Download: Presentation of Keynote: drive.google.com.
Watch the press conference recording: us02web.zoom.us, passcode *Zc8eWP4 ♦
