Water

Comparative Analysis of Water Sector Reforms
Tracking Progress in Asia and the Pacific
Phase 1- Assessing Water Sector Policies and Reforms - Country Briefs

Bangladesh

• National policies and reforms
• Water resource management
• Improving water services
• Conserving water
• Promoting regional cooperation
• Fostering participation; capacity building; networking

Water is a pervasive influence on life in Bangladesh, though it receives surprisingly little recognition in the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. Abundant water is (at least seasonally) a boon to the nation's food-producing capacity, but water-related disasters periodically cause severe losses of life, property, and economic activity. Progress in administering and, where necessary, reforming the water sector has been very mixed in recent years. There has been substantial international investment and technical assistance in sector administration and reform, but results up to the turn of the century were so disappointing that several ESAs scaled back or suspended assistance. More recently, some significant forward steps have been made.

Bangladesh has substantial expertise in water resources engineering, and the population at large has shown - for example, through the widespread private or communal installation of wells and pumps for water supply and irrigation - that it is well aware of and able to harness the benefits of water. On the other hand, there have been many impediments to effective development and management of the nation's waters, including its position as the most downstream riparian state in the Ganges system, rapid population growth, political circumstances that have hindered progressive action, and a public sector that has suffered from a legacy of bureaucratic procedures, conservatism, and other weaknesses.

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Good progress has been made in undertaking comprehensive sector reviews and developing national policies and reforms, with a National Water Policy approved in 1999. Implementation has been less successful, and revision of water-related law also is taking more time than expected.

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Good progress is being made in many aspects, particularly those related to the provision of information about resource availability and the social and environmental effects of development. Particular areas of weakness include a lack of formal arrangements for water allocation and ineffective regulation of wastewater discharges.

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This is as an area in which Bangladesh is presently making limited progress. There is pervasive state involvement in the water sector, with very limited engagement of the private sector (except for the major involvement of NGOs, community organizations, and individuals in providing their own services at village and household level). State-provided services suffer from low levels of cost recovery and inadequate budgets for operation and maintenance, so that service coverage is low and its quality is poor.

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Performance in this area is mixed. Regulation is pervasive (but not necessarily effective), and participation of beneficiaries (including the poor) in project design is normal so that in principle they can be engaged in water conservation. However, water services are subsidized by the state and tariff structures and collection provide little incentive for water conservation. Education largely is restricted to internationally funded projects.

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Bangladesh, as the most downstream riparian state, has particular interest in this area, but progress generally has been weak. The 1996 Treaty on Sharing of the Ganges River is not comprehensive and there are no agreements with regard to other shared rivers; projects generally are carried out unilaterally, in some cases to the clear disadvantage of Bangladesh.

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Public participation, government-stakeholder partnerships, gender equity, devolution etc. are incorporated into official policies. Implementation generally is slow, but developing. Technical education and training is well provided for in Bangladesh, but more general capacity building is limited, and there is little effective international networking.