Bangladesh Program Update: January 2008Completed Projects: 107 water points and 139 community latrines benefiting 9,500 people in three Dhaka slumsIn the first quarter of 2008, our partner organization in Bangladesh has completed 15 water projects serving 2150 people and 32 latrines. They are well on their way to their 2008 goal of 6000 people served by 60 water points. One encouraging development in the slums of Dhaka is that neighboring community groups see how our beneficiaries are resolving their water problems and they are replicating the solutions with their own resources. With advice and encouragement from our partner organization, neighbors are able to fund and construct their own well and pump systems. They receive the same community organization and hygeine education training as the water project beneficiaries, so they learn to take full advantage of the safe water they now have at their doorstep. In one slum area in which DSK installed 16 wells serving 1425 people, neighboring groups installed an additional 11 wells serving 605 people. Without the presence of DSK, the neighboring groups would not have the information or confidence needed to implement their own projects. This demonstrates the importance of safe water to the slum residents and the ability of the slum communities to come up with the resources for the hardware elements of the project. The cost of technical assistance and training provided by DSK is covered through Water 1st's financial support of the project. Essentially, our partner organization is able to leverage your contributions to provide safe water to more than just the individuals that received a Water 1st funded water point. If you count the 605 people who constructed their own wells, we have provided water to more than 10,000 people in Bangladesh. Baseline surveyIn 2005, DSK performed a survey of the Demra, Kamrangir Char and Pallabi communities in Dhaka to identify target slums for Water 1st support. Over a 3-year period (beginning January 2006), DSK is working with the people in these slums to legalize water points, construct hygienic toilets, establish community-based organizations to operate and maintain the water points and toilets, and provide hygiene education. Below is a list of the slum areas where our work is currently focused:
DSK conducted 2-3 day baseline surveys in each slum as a way of getting to know the community needs and their existing situation. It also helps the slum-dwellers to begin to think about improving their situation and the highest priorities they have for their community. The following information was collected in the survey:
Many of the people living in the slums are illiterate; therefore, much of the baseline survey is done using illustrations. (See side photos.) Nayan Al Din, a Unit Manager for the Water 1st-DSK project, wrote to us recently and said, "I met Jahanara Bagum, a mother of three children, who has been living in Kamrangir Char slum with her husband. She works for a small plastic making factory as a part-time laborer at 35 Taka/day (about 50-cents). Her husband is a boat man and he earns 75 to 100 Taka/day (about $1 - $1.50). Her children were taking their bath in the water where human feces were dumped everyday. I was looking at them and found that they had no hesitation to take bath in such dirty and polluted water. I did opine, 'Look children, you are doing wrong things. This water is harmful for health, don't go for bathing.' They replied, 'We know, but where is the safe water for bathing?' One girl responded, 'Our mothers collect water from this ditch for washing and cooking also!'" This is why we are doing this work. People deserve to bathe and drink with clean water. ConstructionDemra and Kamrangir Char communities are located outside the service area of the Dhaka public water utility. There is no option in these areas to connect to the public water system, and DSK is the only local organization (and Water 1st the only donor) that is working in these areas to provide water and sanitation solutions. Instead, the water systems constructed here consist of hand-bored wells ranging from 230 to 280 feet deep. Water is pumped using to a 1,000 liter (270 gallons) plastic storage tank placed on top of the roof of one of the buildings. Water flows by gravity through pipes to shower and water tap facilities. The pump is connected to the electric power supply grid (this is legal power supply) and the slum-dwellers are responsible for electric bill. "A new water point and a latrine will make a big difference for us. No one was trying to help us before. No one wants to come into the slums. Now we will have clean water and I know my children will be healthier." Resident of Kamrangir Char slum In Pallabi community, the new water points are legal, metered connections to the Dhaka Water and Sewer Authority (DWASA) mains. DSK has worked for years to develop a relationship with DWASA to give the slum-dwellers legal access to DWASA water supplies. In the past, DWASA did not allow this. Because the slum dwellers did not have legal rights to the land they were squatting on, DWASA didn’t feel it had the mandate to provide water to them (even though it was clear that slum dwellers were illegally tapping into the water mains). DWASA was worried that as a government entity, if they legalized water points for slum dwellers, they would in effect giving them legal access to the land too. Sanitation facilities have also been constructed in various forms depending on the needs of the beneficiaries and space available. Household and community latrines with anywhere from two to four stalls have been constructed in the project areas. To date, the loan repayment rate on the Dhaka projects is 97%. One of the major challenges that has been faced in this project is simply identifying space for the installation of water points and latrines in these densely populated settlements. There were also challenges dealing with the slum power structure in the initial stages of the project, as people unite to find healthy and affordable solutions to their water supply problems. Water vendors who were over-charging slum dwellers for water are losing business. Even though the slum dwellers are poor, they are paying 100% of the capital costs of constructing their projects. DSK offers loans for the water and sanitation facilities, which the communities pay back monthly for about 2 years, depending on the amount of the loan and the income of the community. The loan terms are reviewed carefully with community members, an agreement is signed by both the community and DSK, and all loan records are kept in the community for anyone to inspect. Community organization and trainingCommunity based organizations (CBOs), consisting of nine female and five male members, were formed at each water point and toilet. The CBOs are responsible for ensuring the water points and toilets are maintained and that the loan repayments are made to DSK. “Before the project, the people collected water from the rivers and used hanging latrines. So, after we installed a well and pit latrines, everyone used the new facilities. But these people had never used a latrine before, so we had to explain to them how to use it properly. We explained to them how to wash their bodies and wash their hands after latrine use, how to cover their food to keep the flies off.” Farida Yasmin, DSK community health worker An adult female from each household also participates in hygiene education seminars given by Community Health Workers (CHWs) from our local partner organization. The community is divided into hygiene groups, each group having 10 members. The training is scheduled in three sessions, each lasting an hour or two. The women sit together with the CHW, who facilitates a discussion of safe water and waterborne disease, personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene, and environmental sanitation knowledge and practices. The CHWs use illustrations to help with the hygiene messages. About one to two months after the hygiene training, the groups begin a self-monitoring program to see how they are doing at adopting the behavior changes they have learned (such as washing hands after defecation). This group typically meets with the CHW once/month for six months, and the CHW and other group members are there to support and encourage the families who are having trouble with making changes in the hygiene habits. More than waterA recent study estimated that poor in Bangladesh spend over $70 million annually on the treatment costs for diarrhea. According to a recent World Health Organization Report, the global return on investing in water and sanitation is $10 for every $1 spent for universal coverage. There are many potential benefits associated with improved water and sanitation, ranging from direct economic benefits of preventing diarrhea, indirect economic benefits related to health improvements (such as fewer missed days at work or school) and non-health benefits related to water and sanitation improvements (such as time-savings from water collection). At Water 1st, we believe that investments in the provision of safe water and sanitation more than pay for themselves. “Kasta gacha, bhaolo pani pi , amaka ar dur thaka pani anta hay na , ami khub khushee” which means, “I have no more pain. We have safe drinking water at our door step. We do not need to travel long distances to collect water. I am quite happy with the water point.” Rozena of Demra slum Families in Demra slum agree. “Since we drilled the new well, our children our healthier. We don’t have to make any more trips to the doctor. We find that we are now saving money because we don’t have to pay for medicines from the doctor,” said one resident. “We are using that money to buy other things for our children like food and clothes and school books.” Projects under construction: 60 water points and 120 community latrinesIn 2008, we are continuing our support of water, sanitation and hygiene education projects in the Demra, Kamrangir Char and Pallabi communities of Dhaka. Approximately 6,000 people will benefit this year from additional projects. Although we are the only donor supporting water and sanitation projects in Demra and Kamrangir Char, our projects are being used as examples to the Bangladesh government and other funding institutions, with the hopes that the government might make some policy changes and replicate the kinds of projects that we have seen implemented successfully by DSK with poor slum-dwellers. As with the already completed projects, CBOs will be formed to oversee the long-term operation and maintenance of constructed facilities and households participating in the project will participate in a hygiene education program.
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In Tarabo slum of Demra community, DSK’s community health workers facilitated a “social map” of the slum, showing all the main features of the area including houses, roads, markets, water points and toilets. Non-functioning water points and unhygienic toilets are colored red.
The mapping exercise is repeated each year in the slum, to show the progress the people have made to address their water and sanitation problems. New water points and latrines in the updated map are colored green. This slum has made a lot of progress, and work will continue until spring 2009 when 100% of the people in the Tarabo slum will have access to safe water and hygienic toilets.
“Since we drilled the new well, our children our healthier. We find that we are now saving money because we don’t have to pay for medicines from the doctor. We are using that money to buy other things for our children like food and clothes and school books.” Resident of Demra slum."
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