Water & Sanitation Issues Bangladesh Flood

Emergency

Water & Sanitation Sector Working Group

13th September 2004

UNICEF

Flood – immediate impact on water & sanitation

• 200,000 GoB tubewells plus maybe 1.8 million private wells underwater

• Other water sources (ringwells, PSFs, underground RWH tanks, etc.) also out of action

• Urban areas, esp. Dhaka – contamination through leaking pipelines & underground tanks, major city drainage problems, sewerage system inoperable, mixing of storm water & sewage

• Sanitation facilities under water, collapsed – maybe 3 million latrines affected

• Affected population with limited access to safe water and sanitary method for excreta disposal, especially in flood shelters

• Major risks of diarrhoea outbreaks, possible major epidemic, such as cholera

UNICEF

Initial response to flood• GoB main response through DPHE – 14,252 tubewells raised, 93,790 tubewells disinfected, 824 new tubewells & 2,185 latrines installed in flood shelters. Financial support from UNICEF

• DWASA maintained water supply in Dhaka as far as possible, including making free water available for bulk supply by NGOs (DSK, CARE, etc.) for distribution in slum areas

• WPTs, bleaching powder provided by several agencies (UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, NGO Forum)

• NGO response in project areas by NGO Forum, CARE, WaterAid partners, etc.

UNICEF

Problems encountered• WPT was not available in country – needed importing,

process was slow

• Access to flood affected areas to carry out disinfection, distribute WPT was difficult due to damaged transport system

• Limited sanitation solutions in flood-affected areas. With concentration of populations in shelters, available land and buildings, few available latrines rapidly filled, plus open defecation inevitably occurred.

• Water & sanitation facilities not planned for in many flood shelters, so had to be hurriedly installed once flood had hit

• Too few trained tubewell mechanics

UNICEF

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Post-flood response – short term• Continue disinfection programme for tubewells, including

training of emergency tubewell mechanics.

• Assessment of flood damage – underway at present, including water quality analysis with ICDDRB

• Repairs to damaged water supply systems – tubewell repair and replacement, clean-up & repair of other technologies, esp. in arsenic affected areas. Clean-up of urban pipelines & repairs to damaged pumping systems

• Replacement of damaged household latrines

• Environmental clean-up

UNICEF

Post-flood response – longer term• Mapping of shelter locations• Installation of improved water & sanitation facilities at

suitable flood shelter locations – raised tubewells, RWH tanks, raised latrines

• Review standard designs of tubewell platforms, latrines, etc., in light of floods

• Review designs for, & choice of, safe water options in arsenic-affected flood-prone areas

• Review emergency preparedness on annual basis, including stocks of emergency supply items such as WPT, water tanks, jerry cans, mini treatment plants etc.

• Dhaka city – urgent need for improved urban planning and implementation, especially on drainage & sewerage

UNICEF

Organisation of post-flood activities• UNICEF focal agency for UN Flash Appeal –

expected to receive approx $5 million (DFID, Japan, German Natcom)

• Key partners – DPHE, DWASA, NGO Forum, DSK (other NGOs under coordination of NGO Forum)

• DPHE has prepared PCP for approx. $50 million