Find Water and Sanitation expertise in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has abundant water resources, of which the majority is groundwater. However, the provision of clean and unpolluted water remains a problem due to the presence of arsenic in the ground. UNICEF states that 97% of the population of Bangladesh have access to a “water point”, though due to the presence of arsenic in the ground, only three-quarters of this can be considered safe (2011). The Bangladesh Water Development Board leads the country’s water resources management and development, while the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) deals with the local water infrastructure. All policy on water management is directed by the National Water Policy of 1999. Within the last 25 years, private sector involvement in the water and sanitation sector has dramatically increased. Sanitation equipment and hand-pumps are now available extensively throughout the country. Between the 1970s and the mid-1990s, wells were drilled to provide safe drinking water. As a result, in 2010 the UN estimated that 81% of the population was using an improved drinking water source and 56% have access to adequate sanitation facilities.