Allocation to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector should be increased in the national budget of the fiscal year 2024-25 proportionately to the growth of the annual development programme, according to representatives of local and international NGOs, said a press release.
They came up with the observation at a press conference jointly organised by WaterAid, PPRC, FANSA, FSM Network, Sanitation and Water for All at the National Press Club on Thursday.
They said that despite the increase in allocation to WASH sector in recent years, various types of disparities remained.
According to NGO activists, three types of disparities could be observed in this sector, including rural-urban disparity, inter-urban disparity and less attention to some areas that are hard to reach, especially in the haor areas.
They mentioned all disparities needed to be eliminated and allocation to WASH sector should be proportional to the size of the ADP growth.
At the press conference, economist and PPRC executive chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman said that the sixth goal of Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all. To ensure the timely achievement of these targets, the annual development programme growth rate and allocation to the WASH sector should also be aligned with the development budget.
He said that it was important to give priority to regional disparities and the involvement of the concerned communities in the allocation of ADP in the national budget for the fiscal year 2024-25.