Govt urged to provide WASH allowance thru' family card
The cash support would help poor maintain basic hygiene, access safe water, advocacy groups say
WASH advocacy groups have urged the government to introduce a monthly Tk300–Tk500 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) allowance for extremely poor households through family card programmes, saying the support could help vulnerable communities tackle growing climate and public health risks.
The proposal was presented at a pre-budget media briefing organised by the Network of WASH Networks ahead of the FY2026–27 national budget at the National Press Club in Dhaka today (20 May).
According to a policy brief by WaterAid Bangladesh and Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), the allowance should be distributed through national family cards or health cards to help low-income households maintain basic hygiene and access safe water.
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The organisations said the cash support would particularly benefit climate-vulnerable coastal families by enabling them to buy household water tanks for rainwater harvesting and reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses linked to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea.
Speaking at the briefing, Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of PPRC, said public investment in the WASH sector has sharply declined over the past three years despite mounting development and climate challenges.
He said WASH allocations under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) dropped 40% – from Tk187.28 billion in FY2022-23 to Tk109.01 billion in FY2025-26.
Advocate Fayazuddin Ahmad, policy and advocacy lead at WaterAid Bangladesh, said preliminary findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2025 show that while 98% of the population uses improved water sources, only 55% have access to safely managed drinking water.
He also highlighted a sharp urban-rural disparity, noting that safely managed drinking water coverage stands at 71% in urban areas compared to 48% in rural areas.
Participants alleged that nearly two-thirds of the national WASH development budget is concentrated in urban areas and Water Supply and Sewerage Authorities (Wasa), while char lands, haors, coastal belts and hill districts receive disproportionately low funding.
The advocacy groups also called for greater investment in fecal sludge management, climate-resilient water systems, and WASH facilities in schools and healthcare institutions.
