Water supply and sanitation in Bangladesh
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Water coverage (broad definition) | 87% (in 2019) |
| Sanitation coverage (broad definition) | 61% (in 2019) |
| Continuity of supply | Intermittent |
| Average urban water use (L/person/day) | 88 (2006–07, average of 11 cities) |
| Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3) | 0.12 (Average of main urban areas in 2007) 0.08 (in Dhaka 2007) |
| Share of household metering | 18% (2007) |
| Annual investment in WSS | US$0.55/capita (Average 1993/95–2000/01) |
| Share of self-financing by utilities | For rural areas, about one third by users themselves (2006) |
| Share of tax-financing | For rural areas, about one third by the government (2006) |
| Share of external financing | For rural areas, about one third by donors (2006) |
| Institutions | |
| Decentralization to municipalities | Full |
| National water and sanitation company | None |
| Water and sanitation regulator | None |
| Responsibility for policy setting | Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives |
| Sector law | None |
| No. of urban service providers | More than 200 municipalities and 2 Water Supply and Sewerage Agencies (for Dhaka and Chittagong) |
| No. of rural service providers | n/a |
Bangladesh is faced with multiple water quality and quantity problems (such as salinity, groundwater depletion and natural arsenic contamination of groundwater) along with regular natural disasters, such as cyclones and floods. Available options for providing safe drinking water include tubewells, traditionally dug wells, treatment of surface water, desalination of groundwater with high salinity levels, and rainwater harvesting.
Only 56% of the population was estimated to have access to adequate sanitation facilities in 2010. A new approach to improve sanitation coverage in rural areas, called the community-led total sanitation concept, has helped to increase the sanitation coverage.
Bangladesh has a low level of cost recovery due to low tariffs and poor economic efficiency, especially in urban areas where revenues from water sales do not cover operating costs.