About BangladeshBangladesh was liberated from Pakistan in 1971. Located in the north-eastern part of South Asia, the country has a population of 142 million in an area of 144,000 square kilometres. With a population density of nearly 986/sq km, Bangladesh is also one of the world's most crowded countries.
The country is described as the largest delta in the world. Much of its land area has been built up from alluvial deposits brought down by some major rivers. Its low lying lands are subject to severe monsoon flooding which every year displaces huge numbers of people and destroys livelihoods. The land is mostly flat, except for a range of hills in the south-east. Bangladesh has achieved major progress in improving the living standard of its people over the past two decades. Infant mortality rates have fallen from 154 per thousand live births in 1970 to 46 per thousand and life expectancy is now 62 years. The population growth rate fell from 2.6% in 1970 to 1.74% in 2002. Primary education enrolments have doubled in less than 20 years. However, rapid urbanisation, resulting in substantial growth of informal settlements of poor people, represents a major challenge. Water and sanitationBangladesh made great progress in water supply with the widespread use of tube wells. Although about 97% of people had access to water points a few years ago, the discovery of arsenic in the ground water has forced the safe water coverage down to 74%. In addition, most people living in informal settlements of urban areas do not have the legal right to access water from public water providing agencies. The government of Bangladesh has committed to achieve 100% sanitation coverage by 2010 and has started working towards this. As per recent government estimates, the sanitation coverage has reached 72% (as of March 2006), up from 33% in 2003. However, the calculation considers only household latrines. Environmental concernsArsenic in groundwater is a major concern, with 37,749 cases of arsenicosis confirmed according to the Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation Water Supply Project, and an estimated 30 million people currently at risk. This fall in safe water coverage has created concern among government, donors and NGOs. High concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic have already been found in water from thousands of tubewells, the main source of potable water, in 61 out of Bangladesh's 64 districts. Groundwater depletion has also become a major environmental threat in Bangladesh as the water table is falling gradually due to shortage of fresh water from upstream supplies and over-extraction of water for irrigation. Water experts warn that if the water table continues to fall, the vacuum created in the aquifer might even cause the ground to suddenly subside. Key actors in water and sanitationMajor actors in water and sanitation programmes in Bangladesh include:
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