• Bangladesh has made progress in both sanitation and water, but low levels of sanitation and arsenic contamination in ground water remain important public-health threats.
• Although sanitation coverage remains low at 39 per cent, the number of people defecating in the open and in hanging latrines (which empty directly into water sources) has halved since 2003. Convincing people to defecate in a fixed place is a first step in sanitation improvements. UNICEF is now working on the next step: encouraging people to invest in quality latrines that completely isolate excreta from the human environment.
• UNICEF Bangladesh is currently involved in the largest intensive hygiene, sanitation and water quality improvement project ever attempted in a developing country. The Sanitation, Hygiene Education and Water Supply in Bangladesh (SHEWA-B) project aims to reach 30 million people in five years (20072011).
• Low rates of progress in improving water supply coverage reflect the prevailing situation of arsenic contamination of shallow tube-wells. UNICEF addresses the naturally occurring arsenic contamination of groundwater by: - Testing more than 1 million tube wells, with blanket testing in 45 Upazilas (districts)- Providing alternative safe water in 68 upazillas, under SHEWA-B;- Implementing public information and awareness campaigns on arsenic mitigation
• Sanitation facilities have a major impact on girls’ attendance at school. The school component of SHEWA-B will provide separate and appropriate toilets for boys and girls and incorporate hygiene education.
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