ADB approves $90mn loan to sustain water supply delivery, sanitation services in Bangladesh

Manila: The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday said it has approved a $90 millio loan to develop infrastructure and systems that will provide clean drinking water and sanitation services in three places in Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) region.

The lender said the project will develop water treatment plants with a total capacity of 44 million liters per day in Bandarban, Lama, and Rangamati pourashavas (towns) and transmission lines and distribution networks to connect to households, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Most households in the CHT region rely on shared tube wells in remote areas or on untreated surface water, exposing the population to risks of diseases affecting their health and economic opportunities," ADB Urban Development Specialist Elma Morsheda said, adding that the project will deliver a continuous drinking water supply and promote sanitation and solid waste management in the region.

According to the ADB, a community awareness and behavior change campaign on water, sanitation, hygiene, climate resilience, and solid waste management will be conducted.

The campaign will target 100,000 people, with at least 60 per cent participation from women and the vulnerable population.

Around 300 staff from the Department of Public Health Engineering, hill district councils, and pourashavas will be trained on climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management service delivery.

The project will also enhance the readiness for implementing future investments in water supply and sanitation for 31 towns by preparing feasibility studies, detailed designs, and bidding documents following approaches that promote disaster and climate resilience.