Wash Assessment of Rangpur City Corporation in 2020 (CHAPTER-01: INTRODUCTION)

 

CHAPTER-01: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

The growth of urban population in Bangladesh has outpaced the growth of necessary public
services including the water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management. The gap between
the demand of these public services and the supply provisions might increase further as experts
have warned that by 2060 the population of Bangladesh might be 230 million (before it
stabilizes) of which 70 percent would be living in the urban settlements. Currently, 35 percent
of the population of Bangladesh has concentrated in the urban areas which constitute about 20
percent of the country’s habitable area and thus population density in urban areas are very
high. The situation is further worsened due to higher poverty rates in these urban areas. The
Asian Development Bank estimated that of the 157.90 million population of Bangladesh, 31.5
percent live below the national poverty line (ADB, 2016). According to the latest estimates,
among the urban population 43 percent are poor and 23 percent are extreme poor (IFAD,
2017). Even in the major cities, a significant proportion of these poor and extreme poor have
limited or no legal rights to the land upon which they have settled. Their dwellings tend to be
poorly constructed, with pathways between homes as narrow as just a couple of feet, and
families occupying every available covered space. A significant portion of poor slum dwellers
live in very challenging environment (low lying area or area prone to landslide), where
inadequate and faulty drainage provision makes them vulnerable to flooding/water logging, and
landslide during the monsoon season. They live a very sub-human life due to lack of access to
clean water and sanitation facilities, land tenure and sufficient space for living/inadequate
housing, absence of utility service, improper waste management, lack of adult education, lack
of access of health services etc.

Lack of sufficient space for living, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, lack of health care services, less opportunities for education, insecurity and other problems are directly affecting the wellbeing of this segment of population in urban slam settlements. The same can be said about Rangpur, which was established on 28th June 2012 with an area of 205.70 sq. km. Total population of Rangpur City Corporation is 796,556 (male 398,282 & female 398,274). Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) consists of 33 wards and 03 zones. Total slums in RpCC is 96 where there are total 67,302 people with 32466 males and 34,836 female slum dwellers. In these areas, access to basic services such as health care, education, safe water, and sanitation is often difficult or cost prohibitive. In Rangpur City Corporation, the poor segments are left out from the formal system of services. For example, the slum dwellers of Dhaka City Corporation are now entitled to have water supply from the government system; however, the similar service lacks in the Rangpur City Corporation.

Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has not been established for Rangpur City Corporation yet and thus RpCC itself has been managing the sanitation part while DPHE is responsible for ensuring water supply through RpCC. RpCC is facing several challenges, including unplanned city development and informal settlements and increased demand of water supply, sanitation, and waste management. Samasundor canal inside and around the Rangpur city became a curse for the city dwellers as its not being properly maintained and all households are connecting their sewerage lines to the drain openly.  RpCC serves most of the Low-Income Consumers (LIC) dwellers, many of whom have unauthorized connections of different utility services. A substantial portion of the more vulnerable LIC households has minimal or no access to water services. In terms of quality water service delivery to the RpCC LICs, it is observed that mostly the big slums receive support and development interventions by various organizations, while small slum areas are either ignored or receive limited support. Initial analysis show that this is due to high risk of evictions and poverty accessibility of utility services are limited in these areas. The small slums are scattered through railroad sides or other inaccessible areas, and therefore do not get enough attention and services. This is even though there are opportunities to provide WASH services to these areas though existing resources. It is also important to highlight that there is no detailed data and statistics available to better understand the root cause of these issues.

In response to the above situation and to improve evidence base for policy and practical solutions, it is suggested to conduct a WASH      Service Mapping exercise. This exercise will allow to better identify and analyze gaps in Rangpur City Corporation, and map out the existing service point status, their quality of providing services, number of services given, accessibility of the service points from community perspective and community service seeking behavior. As part of the Work Plan signed between UNICEF and the Rangpur City Corporation, and as part of its mandate to enable equal access to services for children, UNICEF intends to support to undertake the WaSH Service Mapping Assessment for RpCC. 

This assessment will allow to understand the needs and behavior of the Low-Income Consumers including children and women and sex disaggregated data in Rangpur City Corporation, need and role of Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, along with their socio-economic condition; estimated total population; required WaSH service facilities, locations; water supply and sanitation services they get from RpCC and other stakeholders; process and scenarios of revenue collection; hygiene situation; and other major challenges.  The assessment will also recommend an action plan and indicative budget for implementing an on-going, easy-to-update and user-friendly data collection and management process, which could maintain the city map as accurate and relevant, so that it can act as an effective tool to assist RpCC’s investment and management planning. This will also allow to review the RpCC masterplan and come up with WASH      masterplan to be implemented. The recommended action plan also should include roles and responsibilities and a recommended management structure, with suggested support in terms of equipment and capacity development. In this backdrop this study/assessment is
conceived by the UNICEF/RpCC where the PASS and HRD foundation would like to come forward with its expertise to assist the knowledge service procuring entities.

 

 

1.2.  Purpose of Assignment:

To map the existing water sources, sanitation services, and waste management; Faecal Sludge Management (FSM), and identify gaps and scope of work in 33 wards of Rangpur City Corporation in line with Child Friendly City Initiative (CFCI). The main output of the assessment will be a GIS map with WaSH database and an action plan for Rangpur City Corporation.   

The purpose of the assignment is to provide information and evidence base for developing a WaSH Master Plan for the low-income settlements/slums of Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC). This will be done through preparation of a GIS base map with WaSH  database (existing water sources, sanitation services, solid waste and fecal sludge management); identification of gaps and scope of work in 33 wards of Rangpur City Corporation to perform advocacy, to provide WASH      support (to the Low-Income Community); the development of comprehensive master plan for a capacity building, budgeting, implementing, reporting and monitoring/evaluation/updating of WaSH interventions within a full accountability of all stakeholders, and finally by promoting equitable access to improved WaSH  services for the most vulnerable and poorest households in RpCC. The main output of the assessment will be a GIS map with key components of WASH      database.

1.3. Specific goals and objectives of the assignment are-

1.To explore the existing WaSH practice and asses the WaSH situation in Rangpur City Corporation area focusing slum and poor settlements.

2.To identify the existing WaSH facilities in RpCC area and prepare an inventory.

3.To identify the existing public space and growth centers and asses their WaSH      demand.

4.To assess the WaSH demand for whole Rangpur City Corporation (Ward wise)

5.To prepare a future for 10 years based on “National Water and Safely managed sanitation policy 2020-2030” with role and responsibility and recommend a management structure with suggested support in terms of equipment and capacity development.

1.4 Timeframe:

The Plan for Water Supply and Sanitation will be for a period of 20 years starting from 2020. The Strategy's progress will be reviewed annually, and it will be updated and revised after five years.

1.5 Guiding Principles

The Strategy is based on the following guiding principles.

1. Safe water supply and sanitation for all establish as citizen rights.

2. Treating water is a limited water resource, ensure quality and pure water supply to all and reduce wastage of water through integrated water supply management.

3. Promote water supply, sanitation, and hygiene components in annual budget and donar funded development program.

4. Adopt a participatory, demand driven and inclusive approach in all stages of WaSH service

delivery programs.

5. Initiate gender inclusive WaSH development scheme.

6. Ensure WaSH facilities during and after any kind of natural and manmade disasters and climate change.

7. Improve sectoral governance to ensure transparency and accountability at all stages of service delivery.

8. Undertake a gradual approach to improve the quality and service levels.

9. Promote enhanced private sector participation.

1.6. The Scope of Study

The following scope of services were considered while performing the consultancy service to UNICEF/CCC.

·         To conduct a WaSH Service Mapping exercise to improve evidence base for policy and practical solutions; such GIS-based mapping exercise would help: to identify and analyses gaps in WaSH services’ provision in slums in Rangpur City; to map out the existing service point status, their quality of providing services, number of services given, accessibility of the service points from community perspective and community service seeking behavior.

·         To understand the needs and behavior of the Low-Income Consumers in Rangpur City Corporation jurisdiction, along with their socio-economic condition; estimated total population; locations; water supply and sanitation services they get from Rangpur City Corporation and other stakeholders; process and scenarios of revenue collection; hygiene situation; and other major challenges.

·         Finally, to recommend an action plan and indicative budget for implementing an ongoing, easy-to- update and user-friendly data collection and management process, which could maintain the city map as accurate and relevant, so that it can act as an effective tool to assist Rangpur City Corporation investment and management planning.

1.7. Limitation of the Study:

Although the study covers a whole range of issues of WaSH in Rangpur city and consulted many sectors/stakeholders to prepare the WaSH Master/Action Plan, yet the plan has the following shortcomings.

First, the WaSH issues of slums cut-across many sectors and jurisdictions. The study team as per the ToR of the study has only investigated the WaSH situation in the premises of surveyed slums and low-income settlements. As the slum people make use of WaSH facilities in their workplaces, health service facilities, schools, and other public places those places/facilities should have been included in the study.

Second, a significant proportion of the slums/low-income settlements in Rangpur city is owned by private landlords. Any upgradation/development intervention whether it is WaSH Plan or anything else in these slums must be designed and implemented with the support from the private landlords/slum owners. However, there exists some form of mistrust among the private slum owners about the intention of such WaSH development plan. Their cooperation is necessary but not sufficient to I initiate such long-term WaSH Master Plan. There is need for creating an enabling environment where they would act as a long-term viable partner.

Third, Rangpur City Corporation has a series of mandate to do for their city dwellers where WaSH      is one of them. The main mandate of city council is to development of physical infrastructure like road, drain, bridge, culverts, streetlight etc. As a result, this sector is overlooked by the authority. As a result, this plan become a useless book in the self. 

Fourth, it is very difficult to tracking the low-income and slum dwellers. The move any time for their livelihood. As a result, it is become difficult to assess the demand and prepare action plan for them. The population count during the survey and during implementation the plan may varies significantly. Then it may seem that the survey was wrong.

Finally, WaSH Master Plan covers lots of issues including awareness/knowledge building, attitude/behavior change, and change in WaSH practices which need to be addressed going beyond sporadic intervention like occasional campaign. These issues have to be well placed in school curriculum from where the slum children would benefit as well. However, review of WASH      issues in curriculum was beyond this exercise.