Facilitating Water Supply for Poor Urban Communities Ranajit

Facilitating Water Supply for Poor Urban Communities Ranajit Das Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) Bangladesh Email: ranajit_das@dskbangladesh. org

Bangladesh Context q q q q 150 million people live in Bangladesh with annual growth 1. 8% 40% live below poverty level 25% of the total population are extreme poor 30% of the population live in urban areas ( 50 million) Urban population rising 6% annually Urban population expected to reach 50% by 2025 Predicted half of the urban population will live in urban slums by 2025 Average daily income of the slum dwellers Tk 70 - 150 ( USD 1 -1. 5)

Poor pay more get less q q q About 7000 slums and low income settlements in Bangladesh but 5000 slums in Dhaka city ( capital city). 3. 4 million people live in slum in Dhaka Population of Dhaka city is 12 million and projected population of Dhaka city will be 25 million by 2025 and half of them will be slum dwellers Generally no legal water supply in the slums People buy water from illegal vendor and pay BDT 150 -200/2000 Lit ( 12 -15 times higher f the official rate ) but get less water with highly contamination

Cont…. q q Over 80% dwellers use unhygienic hanging toilet House rent BDT 1500 -2000/ month for 100120 sq. ft room which same as rich people pay Pay for electricity 120 -150/month/ per bulb( illegal connection) which is 10 times higher than official rate Two oven Gas supply cost Tk 450 but slum dwellers pay Tk 1600 (8 families use two oven @ Tk 200)

DSK’s Wat. San journey q DSK started its Water and sanitation interventions in urban slum in 1992 Main objective q 100% coverage by water , sanitation and hygiene promotion to improve health of the poor and extreme poor people DSK’s Wat. San is integrated withq Safe legal water supply q Environmental sanitation q Hygiene promotion q Community empowerment q Advocacy for pro-poor policy

Water Supply in urban slums q Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) the only water supply agency in Dhaka city DWASA had written laws that ‘ people must have legal ownership document of the house/ land to get water connection. q By laws it was denied water right of the slum dwellers as they do not have any legal document of the land to have water connection. q q So, slum dwellers were forced to depend on illegal water supply or have to beg water to other people who have supply

Cont… In this scenario, DSK has started Wat. San interventions for slum dwellers of Dhaka city in 1992 q After a continuous discussions and negotiation with DWASA for legal water connection, DSK finally got 2 water connections in DSK’s name as a “ Pilot Case” to provide water connection to the slum dwellers. q DSK installed two “Community Based Water Point” managed by the community in 1992. q After successful operation of two “Community Based Water Point” DWASA extended its support to DSK for more water points for slum dwellers. q DWASA considered 2 majors areas Regular 100% water bill payment by slum dwellers Reduce non revenue water ( reduce illegal connection) -

DSK Water Point Model q Over the period the DSK water point facilities become popular to the slum dwellers, Govt. , NGOs/Donors and now it is called “ DSK Water Point Model” q The Model is replicating by NGOs, Donors, NU agencies , Govt. for slum dwellers.

Cont. . The DSK model Water Point q Community based and community managed through a management committee q Easy manageable q Use one point by 20 -40 families ( based on the capacity) q Legal and get adequate water without buying time q No queue to collect water q Very much women friendly q Less pay for water ( 10 -15% times less) q No tension to dis-connection as it is legal q No fix time to water collection q Community ownership over the connection

DSKs sanitation facilities q q q DSK also provides sanitation facilities to the slum dwellers along with safe legal water supply Toilets are community based with septic tank facility Toilets are women and disable friendly Vacutug ( a mechanized device ) for empting septic tank soiled waste managed for slum dwellers

Participatory Hygiene Promotion Hygiene promotion is one of the key components of DSK’s Wat. San interventions. q Courtyard session for Hygiene Group (Adult, child, Adolescents School HP Menstrual Hygiene Management Follow-up at HH level q Participatory monitoring of HP q q

Disable Friendly Wat. San Technology

WP ownership by the community q In 2007 DWSAS first 4 WPs ownership transferred from DSK to Community name : 1 st official ownership of slum dwellers q In 2008 DWASA changed its law of water connection - now it says by forming a CBO slum dwellers can have a water connection directly from DWASA by their own name. q After 16 years of advocacy initiatives by DSK finally slum dwellers get their water right in Dhaka City. The other city yet to give water connection directly to the slum dwellers. DSK has been also working other city to establish water right for slum dwellers

A Successful Advocacy Outcome Slum dwellers obtained permission of water connection in the name of CBO Slum dwellers are entitled as DWASA legal customer (DWASA incorporated the issue in the by-laws) DWASA transferred ownership of water point from DSK to community Mo. U between DWASA & NGOs Dhaka WASA reduced the security money from Tk. 10, 000 to Tk. 1000 Initial permission for 2 water points for slum dwellers in the name of DSK

Experiences and Challenges Experiences q Evidence based advocacy create more influence over policy makers q Community participation and their capacity building is important Challenges q Stop continuous slum eviction without notice and alternative arrangement for the slum dwellers q Manage slum power structure for slum development q Find adequate space for installing Wat. San infrastructure in slums

Work together for their better future

Reference BBS, Govt. of Bangladesh 2007 q World Bank 2000 q Slums of Urban Bangladesh Mapping and Census , 2005 , CUS, MEASURE NIPRT 2005 q DSK project information q