Larger budget allocation sought in water sector
STAFF REPORTER
More equitable budget allocations for the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors are required in the proposed national budget for 201819 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG-6), according to experts. Speakers at a press meet said, Against the substantial growth of GDP and the national budget over the last seven years (201112 to 201718), relative growth in WASH allocation is disproportionately low, with the LGD WASH allocation increasing by only Tk. 5.47 billion compared to FY1718, which appears to be insignificant in comparison with the growth in population and urbanisation for the last one year.
So, spatial inequities in WASH allocations have to be addressed as a priority to realise Goal 6, with special emphasis on rural regions and those lagging behind.
The speakers raised their demands at the joint press conference organised by WaterAid Bangladesh, UNICEF, PPRC, FANSA, WSSCC,B, FSM Network, Sanitation and Water for All, and WASH Alliance. It was held at the National Press Club yesterday (Sunday). The speakers shared how progress towards the SDGs and implementation of 7th Five-Year Plan will be difficult to achieve without ensuring clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene for all.
According to an analysis by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), supported by WaterAid and UNICEF, Bangladeshs government has shown firm commitment to WASH, as evident in the long-term trend in WASH allocation.
Nevertheless, the analysis shows geographical inequalities in WASH budgeting, with cities and towns receiving most of the funding at the expense of rural and char areas, despite acute needs, the speakers observed.
According to the speakers, though overall WASH allocation (LGD) provisionally shows around 10 per cent increase over FY201819, rural-urban inequity in WASH allocation has widened, with 90.9 per cent of the allocation going to urban areas, and only 9.1 per cent to rural areas.
Former adviser to the caretaker government, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, also stated that WASH allocation and expenditure trends show consistent under-utilisation of allocation, indicating a need for improved capacity and monitoring of expenditure. He also advised the government to increase allocation in the national budget for meeting WASH needs in rural, hard-to-reach areas (char, haor, etc.), and small and medium towns, as recommended in the 7FYP and SDP of LGD.
He also urged the government to create a separate budget code for WASH and pay special attention to high-priority components in the WASH budget to implement the 7FYP and attain SDG-6 goals.
They also placed a six-point set of recommendations to the government to address the problems. The recommendations are: spatial inequities in WASH allocations need to be addressed on a priority basis to realise Goal 6, with special emphasis on rural regions and those lagging behind; faecal sludge management and hygiene need to be funded adequately; funds have to be allocated for awareness programmes on FSM and hygiene, to be undertaken in partnership with pourashavas/city corporations and community/civic groups; strong monitoring, supervision and coordination of WASH services in line with the SDG 6 indicators are required; the Public Money and Budget Management Act, 2009, mandates the finance ministry to make an economic code-wise quarterly submission to Parliament on progress in all projects.
This provision needs to be activated and a sector development plan (SDP) for the water supply and sanitation sector (20112025) remains largely on paper. Immediate and proper actions are required to implement the plan within its timeframe.
WaterAid Bangladesh advocacy and communication manager Faisal Abbas, Fresh Wash Action Network South Asias Yakub Hossain and Networking Sangsthas Alok Majumder were among those who spoke on the occasion.
