Planning Minister MA Mannan unveiled the 'National WASH Accounts 2020' report for the first time in the country to track overall spending trends in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.

Focal Point and Deputy Director of the National Wash Accounts Development Programme of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Alamgir Hossen presented the main features of the report.

Bangladesh spent an average of Tk 11,574 per household per year on WASH (i.e., Tk 1,502 on water; Tk 1,985 on sanitation; and Tk 8,087 on hygiene) which is 4.3 per cent of the citizen’s annual household income.

Distribution of household WASH expenditure by income was found that households with low income and living in impoverished conditions in both urban and rural areas spent a large portion of their income on WASH.

Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr. Shahnaz Arefin and Local Government Division Additional Secretary Mustakim Billah Faruqui were present as special guests in the publication ceremony. 

Director General of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Mohammed Mizanur Rahman presided over the function while Dr Khairul Islam, Regional Director-South Asia, WaterAid and Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh joined as guests.

Representatives from various public and private institutions and development aid organizations attended the programme.

In addition to academicians, researchers, and journalists, there were officials from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and WaterAid Bangladesh.

In his speech, MA Mannan reiterated the government's commitment to end poverty, ensure good health for all, gender equality, climate, nutrition and food security, decent employment and quality education as well as access to safe and affordable safe water and sanitation for all to achieve SDG 6 by 2030.

He reassured that the government is committed to making progress in the WASH sector.

The minister also said that as part of achieving the SDG, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics will continue to regularly update the 'National Wash Accounts' in the future to develop evidence-based planning and policies in the WASH sector as well as increase transparency and accountability in the WASH sector.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul