Water, sanitation getting priority in public spending: Minister
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Friday
January 27, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023
Water, sanitation getting priority in public spending: Minister

Bangladesh

TBS Report
26 November, 2020, 07:35 pm
Last modified: 26 November, 2020, 07:39 pm

Related News

  • Water ATM booth: A low-cost solution to Dhaka's drinking water crisis
  • Eating one wild fish same as month of drinking tainted water: study
  • EVM project depends on affordability: Planning minister
  • NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite
  • NASA to conduct first global water survey from space

Water, sanitation getting priority in public spending: Minister

“It is our constitutional and moral responsibility to reach all civic amenities in towns to villages,” Mannan added

TBS Report
26 November, 2020, 07:35 pm
Last modified: 26 November, 2020, 07:39 pm
Planning Minister MA Mannan. Photo: Collected
Planning Minister MA Mannan. Photo: Collected

The government will now spend more on improving the lives of low-income people as part of its focus on priority sectors, said Planning Minister MA Mannan on Thursday.

"We are now identifying sectors requiring funds and earmarking allocations for them. One of the priority sectors is the water and sanitation sector," the minister said at a webinar on budgetary allocation for water, sanitation and hygiene based on rationality. 

The Development Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (DJFB) and the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP) have jointly organised the discussion on the occasion of the Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers' Meeting to be held on 2 December.

The planning minister said, "We are on the way to becoming a developed nation. So, uninterrupted water and electricity supply is a must. We are almost successful in achieving the feat. But more needs to be done yet. On many occasions, issues arise regarding setting targets for spending and there is some pressure too."         

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has recently approved a project involving Tk800 crore to supply drinking water to haor areas. Projects for sanitation are also in the offing, he added.

Villages will get town-like facilities as announced by the prime minister, but it is not possible to do that overnight. The government has been going ahead with various plans to materialise the commitment, the minister mentioned.  

"It is our constitutional and moral responsibility to reach all civic amenities in towns to villages," Mannan also said.

Dr Shamsul Alam, a member of the General Economics Division of the Planning Commission, presented a keynote paper at the event.    

He said if the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme is not implemented, the country will fall short of its target in achieving many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, it is necessary to increase the budgetary allocation for WASH several times. 

"In fact, 70 crore people in the world still defecate under the open sky. Even in our country, many people still defecate outdoors. We have many water sources in the country. But the thing is whether water is drinkable or not," he added. 

"The Covid-19 pandemic made inroads in the country and taught us how important it is to wash hands."

Specific measures regarding water, sanitation and hygiene have been outlined in the Eighth Five-Year Plan. For example, rainwater harvesting will ensure arsenic-free water, create reservoirs in rivers and increase water quality. Arrangements will also be made to supply water through pipes to villages. Besides, high-quality toilets will be set up, Dr Shamsul Alam said. 

There have also been talks of setting up an authority to fix water prices. However, to improve the overall Wash sector, there must be coordination between government and non-government organisations, he concluded.

Jobayer Hasan, South Asia representative of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) and DORP's director of research, FHM Humayun Kabir, president of DJFB, Imdadul Haque Chowdhury, joint secretary to Local Government Division, Mohammad Monirul Alam, Unicef's WASH specialist, Abdus Salam Mia, grounds manager of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Alamgir, Hossain, deputy director of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and Ranjan Ghosh of Water Aid Bangladesh were also present at the discussion.

Top News

Planning minister MA Mannan / Water / Sanitation / public spending

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Infograph: TBS
    State banks spend 80% of their forex for govt imports in H1
  • Manufacturers feel the pinch as consumers tighten belt
    Manufacturers feel the pinch as consumers tighten belt
  • Production remains halted in 8 Ctg power plants
    Production remains halted in 8 Ctg power plants

MOST VIEWED

  • Picture: Collected
    US Embassy condemns recent incidents of visa fraud
  • Four top bankers arrested in DSA case filed by S Alam group 
    Four top bankers arrested in DSA case filed by S Alam group 
  • Photo: Saqlain Rizve
    Bangladeshi university students identified as problematic users of Facebook, internet: Study
  • Ctg Port Gets A Boost: The Chattogram port officially starts to berth vessels with 10 metres drought on Monday. As of now, only 9.5m draught vessels could anchor at the port, each carrying 2,500 TEUs. But the 10m draught ship will be able to carry 4,000 TEUs, bumping up the port’s container handling capacity and bringing down costs. The photo was taken recently from the port area. Photo: Mohammed Minhaj Uddin
    Dollar crisis: 3 ships with 54,000 tonnes of goods get stuck at Ctg port
  • First Hyundai car manufacturing plant in Bangladesh inaugurated 
    First Hyundai car manufacturing plant in Bangladesh inaugurated 
  • Matarbari coal-power plant, one of the projects funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica)-funded projects.
    More than 50% Japan-funded projects lagging behind

Related News

  • Water ATM booth: A low-cost solution to Dhaka's drinking water crisis
  • Eating one wild fish same as month of drinking tainted water: study
  • EVM project depends on affordability: Planning minister
  • NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite
  • NASA to conduct first global water survey from space

Features

Sketch:TBS

Why we need consumer education for consumer wellbeing

1h | Thoughts
Dr Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director, Policy Research Institute. Illustration: TBS

Twin shocks call for stronger domestic policy response

2h | Thoughts
December-er shohor, taxi taken for airport and the Park Street bathed in lights. Photo: Jannatul Naym Pieal

Exploring Kolkata on foot, empowered by Google Maps

3h | Explorer
Island hopping in Bangladesh?

Island hopping in Bangladesh?

5h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Kajol’s road paintings bring change in Gafargaon

Kajol’s road paintings bring change in Gafargaon

17h | TBS Stories
Carew & Company witnessed a remarkable growth

Carew & Company witnessed a remarkable growth

18h | TBS Stories
PCB recalls cricketers from BPL ahead of PSL

PCB recalls cricketers from BPL ahead of PSL

20h | TBS SPORTS
Why Misha Sawdagar became villain instead of a Hero?

Why Misha Sawdagar became villain instead of a Hero?

19h | TBS Entertainment

Most Read

1
Picture: Collected
Bangladesh

US Embassy condemns recent incidents of visa fraud

2
Four top bankers arrested in DSA case filed by S Alam group 
Bangladesh

Four top bankers arrested in DSA case filed by S Alam group 

3
Illustration: TBS
Banking

16 banks at risk of capital shortfall if top 3 borrowers default

4
Photo: Collected
Splash

Hansal Mehta responds as Twitter user calls him 'shameless' for making Faraaz

5
A frozen Beyond Burger plant-based patty. Photographer: AKIRA for Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Special

Fake meat was supposed to save the world. It became just another fad

6
Representational Image
Banking

Cash-strapped Islami, Al-Arafah and National turn to Sonali Bank for costly fund

EMAIL US
[email protected]
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - [email protected]

For advertisement- [email protected]