Water Safety for the wellbeing of Women and Children in Bangladesh Water Safety for the wellbeing of Women and Children in Bangladesh Reprogrammed funds to address COVID-19
The intervention is considered to deliver sustainable results that contributes to the Results strategy for Bangladesh has made significant progress in increasing access to improved drinking water in both urban and rural areas, and to all segments of the population. As a result of this, Bangladesh achieved the Millennium Development Goal 7c related to drinking water well before the end date in 2015 and currently 98% of the population enjoys access to a protected drinking water source (JMP, 2015). However, looking past the quality proxy of “improved water source” reveals that the water supply is undermined by quality issues and unreliable service provision (MICS 2009). According to the most recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS, only 35 % of households consume water which meets the Bangladesh standard for both arsenic and bacteriological contamination. WHO estimate that chronic arsenic exposure leads to 43 000 deaths annually having a significant economic impact on the country. Despite improvements in prevention and treatment of waterborne disease, 15% of post-neonatal deaths all 6% of all U5 deaths are currently due to diarrhea. 

Arsenic contamination of shallow wells has been a recognized problem since the 1990s but, despite large investments by donors and government, the result has only been a decrease in exposure of 1%, which actually translates into an increased number of affected people given the population growth during the same period. Several factors contribute to this limited success and water quality issues in general, but at the core lay weak regulation and accountability, poor information management, and a lack of capacity of government to coordinate and engage with small scale entrepreneurs in the water sector. 

The proposed programme will support the government of Bangladesh to lead, coordinate and facilitate the implementation and management of water safety frameworks and protocols. The long term development goal is universal access to safe and sustainable drinking water and the expected outcomes of the project are:
1. By 2020, roles and responsibilities for regulation, capacity building, service provision and water quality testing are assigned. 
2. By 2020, harmonized systems and procedures are deployed by stakeholders for the delivery of arsenic and bacteriologically safe drinking water.
3. By 2020, evidence-based systems are used by accountable stakeholders in the health and drinking water sub-sectors. Omprogrammerade medel för att bekämpa covid-19
Det föreslagna programmet kommer att stödja Bangladesh regerings arbete med att leda, samordna och främja genomförandet och förvaltningen av ramverk och metoder för skydd av vatten. Det långsiktiga utvecklingsmålet är allmän tillgång till säkert och hållbart dricksvatten. De förväntade resultaten av projektet är:

1. År 2020 ska roller och ansvar för reglering, kapacitetsuppbyggnad, tillhandahållande av tjänster och provning av vattenkvalitet vara tilldelade.
2. År 2020 är harmoniserade system och metoder utplacerade av ansvariga aktörer för leverans av arseniksäkert och bakteriologiskt säkert dricksvatten.
3. År 2020 används evidensbaserade system av ansvariga aktörer inom delsektorerna hälsa och dricksvatten. The key outcomes and outputs of the project are:

1. By 2021, roles and responsibilities for regulation, capacity building, service provision and water quality testing are assigned

1.1 A government-led platform for adaptation and adoption of sub-sector wide scalable water safety models and protocols is established and functional

1.2 Drinking water safety policies and regulations are complied with and capacity of public/ private personnel developed to deliver safe water at-scale '

2. By 2021, harmonized systems and procedures are deployed by stakeholders for the delivery of arsenic and bacteriologically safe drinking water

2.1 A government-led national performance-based monitoring and surveillance system for urban and rural drinking water safety is established and functional '

2.2 A harmonized National Arsenic Mitigation Protocol and evidence-based model is adopted and implemented securing safe water rights

3. By 2021, evidence-based systems are used by accountable stakeholders in the health and drinking water sub-sectors

3.1 Arsenicosis case detection and management protocol is operationalized & evidence and database of arsenicosis patients established and strengthened

3.2 The integrated WASH National Monitoring and Evaluation System is established, populated and functional

4. By 2021, Rohingya and Host Communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas under Coxs Bazar District have sustainable WASH services

4.1 The Behaviour of both host and Rohingya communities have been changed through safe sanitation and hygiene intervention change and safe sanitation

4.2 Rohingya and Host communities are trained on Water Safety Plan (WSP) and able to ensure their own access to safe water

4.3 GoB departments and stakeholders are strengthened to ensure sustainable WASH services for the target communities.

Following the projects successes, the Government of Bangladesh decided to upscale this approach in a $240 million worth programme directed at rural water supply and has requested technical support from UNICEF to expand the well-developed arsenic safe union model to the new programme locations. Consequently, the Swedish Embassy in Bangladesh and UNICEF discussed and agreed to continue support in this area, with a shift of UNICEFs role to solely render technical assistance while leveraging huge GoB resources. This revised role will allow focus on quality assurance of the larger Government programme, capacity building and targeting the poorest and most vulnerable, ensuring a strong equity lens to the intervention. The current contribution will thus be further extended to allow the continuation of support to DPHE while building on previous achievements.

In September 2021, Embassy of Sweden and UNICEF decided that the support of the Swedish Embassy to UNICEF would be provided under the thematic funding modality (pooled funds received against the programmes approved by the Executive Board, i.e the UNICEF Country Programme) instead of a dedicated proposal. Therefore, this bridging phase will cover the first year of UNICEFs Country Programme 2022-26 (January  December 2022) with a special focus on water safety, while the larger 3-year broader thematic proposal based on the UNICEF Bangladesh WASH Programme Strategy Note 2022-26, is being drafted.

Objectives 5 and 6 for the extended period. These objectives are from the technical support to the government initiative.  

5. By 2022, the National Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance System is strengthened with a mechanism for water quality monitoring and management and adapted/used for informed decision-making with quality compliance regulated through the development/ revision, and implementation of the standardized water safety and arsenic mitigation guidelines and protocols.

5.1 Access to quality water resources by communities through water service is regulated through the enforcement of quality guidelines and protocols. 

5.2 Management information system for water quality for informed decision making is established and regularly updated and expanded.

6. By 2022, the poorest and most vulnerable communities in arsenic-affected unions have access to safe, sustainable and climate resilient water services and contribute to sustainably clean and safe environment.

6.1 An informed and all-inclusive consultative process is followed in defining an action plan for safe/arsenic-free water services in selected priority unions.

6.2 Safe/arsenic free water systems that are climate resilient and sustainable are in place to serve targeted population.