Narrative Description of Project: Bangladesh has a high population density and has experienced rapid urbanization. The percentage of the population living in slums has increased, leading to poor sanitation conditions and a higher risk of water-borne diseases. While access to basic drinking water facilities is relatively good, the quality of drinking water is often poor due to contamination. While formally planned urban areas may have access to publicly funded sewerage systems, the poor and those living in slums and informal settlements are left behind with little or no support. In those areas, infrastructure and services for safe containment, emptying, conveyance, treatment, and disposal are largely absent. Pits and septic tanks are illegally connected to surface drains or water bodies. The fecal sludge is emptied by informal and unhygienic methods and openly dumped into the environment. This weak link in the sanitation service chain in Bangladesh has been not only contaminating the
