Location: Charbati Union, Kamalnagar Upazila, Lakshmipur District, Bangladesh
Date: 15 August 2025
Organization: ALO (Animation Liberate for Organize)
Report By: Kazi Altaf Mahmood
Executive Summary
This report documents the pressing needs of residents in Charbati Union, Lakshmipur, who live on the edge of canal embankments, vulnerable to flooding. Based on interviews with community members, the findings reveal acute shortages of safe drinking water, a lack of toilet facilities, and reliance on precarious daily wage labor. While occasional food aid has been distributed during floods, no sustainable interventions—such as tube wells or sanitation facilities—have been provided.
The absence of sanitation forces families to use open canals, creating serious public health risks. This report recommends a phased intervention strategy centered on shared toilets and tube wells, grounded in the Logical Framework Approach (LFA), and aligned with national and regional WASH priorities.
1. Community Challenges & Needs
Residents face multiple interconnected challenges:
- Lack of safe drinking water: Existing water sources are saline or contaminated.
- Absence of sanitation facilities: Families have no toilets; open defecation in canals is common.
- Health risks: Exposure to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and dysentery.
- Economic precarity: Livelihoods rely on rickshaw pulling, brickfield labor, and daily wage work.
- Marginalization: This low-income, embankment-side community is often overlooked by government and NGO programs.
1.2 Methodology for Data Collection (Interview)
Data was collected through direct interviews conducted on-site with residents of Charbati Union on 15 August 2025. Testimonies were cross-checked with secondary data from national WASH surveys, government records, and international databases (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank).
2. Regional and National History of the Issue and Need
2.1 Regional Context
Lakshmipur, part of Bangladesh’s coastal belt, is highly vulnerable to tidal flooding, saline intrusion, and erosion. Embankment-side settlements are particularly at risk. These fragile communities often lack infrastructure investment.
2.2 National Context
Despite Bangladesh’s progress in sanitation coverage (84% basic coverage nationally, 36.4% safely managed sanitation in 2025), coastal areas lag far behind—some districts report less than 25% access to improved facilities. Safe drinking water access also remains uneven, especially in flood-prone areas.
2.3 Alignment of Needs
The expressed needs of the community—safe toilets and tube wells—directly align with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and Bangladesh’s National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation (2014–2025), which prioritizes equitable access for marginalized coastal populations.
3. Methodology
- Primary Source: Interview with residents of Charbati Union.
- Secondary Sources: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), World Bank WASH reports, Government of Bangladesh planning documents.
- Analytical Approach: Logical Framework Analysis and contextual integration of local testimonies with national data.
4. Needs Assessment Findings
4.1 Key Needs
- Shared toilet facilities (1 per 2–3 families).
- Deep tube wells for safe drinking water.
- Hygiene education to mitigate waterborne disease risk.
4.2 Existing Resources and Gaps
- Resources: Occasional food relief during floods.
- Gaps: No sustained provision of WASH facilities. Lack of government or NGO-led permanent infrastructure support.
5. Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
| Objectives | Indicators | Means of Verification | Assumptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improved WASH access for embankment communities | At least 2 shared toilets & 1 tube well installed per cluster of 10 households | Project monitoring reports; community feedback | Local cooperation, continued donor support |
| Reduced waterborne disease incidence | 20% decline in diarrhea/cholera cases within 1 year | Health records, NGO monitoring | Health posts provide data |
| Increased dignity and safety for women & children | 100% of interviewed families report improved sanitation access | Household interviews, FGDs | Toilets maintained properly |
6. Recommendations
- Immediate Installation of shared toilets (1 for every 2–3 families).
- Tube Well Provision in safe elevated ground near the embankment.
- Community Participation in managing and maintaining facilities.
- Hygiene Promotion through awareness campaigns.
- Integration with Disaster Preparedness, ensuring flood-resilient sanitation structures.
7. Resource Requirements
- One Toilet (Sanitization Unit): 35,478 BDT ≈ $302 USD (conversion at 117.5 BDT = 1 USD, Aug 2025).
- One Deep Tube Well: 18,225 BDT ≈ $155 USD.
For 10 households (approx. 60–70 people), 2 toilets and 1 tube well would require:
- 2 x $302 = $604 USD
- 1 x $155 = $155 USD
Total = $759 USD (≈ 88,000 BDT)
Note: Currency conversion is based on the date of this report being published (August 25, 2025).
References
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022.
- WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2023.
- World Bank, Bangladesh WASH Poverty Diagnostic (2021).
- Government of Bangladesh, National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation 2014–2025.
- UNICEF Bangladesh, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Data (2024).
