Project Title: Women Business Centre and Innovative Financing for Upland Water Management in CHT Project.

Name of Donor:  Funded by Aqua for All through United Purpose Bangladesh. 

Introduction: The main objective of this project is to demonstrate appropriate service delivery models for communal water supply services, and market-based approaches for household filters, to ensure sustainable safe water access by remote and low-income residents in CHT.  

The project will work with 7 established Women’s Business Centres (WBCs) (35 woman entrepreneurs) across Barkal Upazila reaching approximately 10,000 people across approximately 15 villages.

The project will construct and/or rehabilitate seven public water supply schemes, serving around 5,000 people, and additionally will take a market-based approach to reach at least a further 5000 people with domestic water filters.

These schemes will be managed by the WBC's, using a community-based enterprise model ensuring the financial viability under the supervision and oversight of the local government.

Duration: 24 months (15 Feb 2022 – 30 June 2024)

Budget: 3,36,87,419.00 BDT

Goal and Objective of the project:

Assessments undertaken to determine the approach and feasibility of the piped water supply and market-based approach activities

• 5,000 people have access to sustainable safe water through piped water supply schemes managed by WBCs
• 5,000 people own and use household water filters marketed and sold by the WBCs.
• Water security through effective management and protection of water supply catchments.
• Assessments undertaken, administrative requirements completed, and plans developed, to mobilize investments to upscale the project activities across target.

1. Location & Beneficiaries:

Pipe Water Supply Schemes

Household Water Filter

1.  Project’s Major Intervention:

• Undertake WASH systems diagnostics and set out vision for water supply investment.
• Engineering feasibility studies (including revenue modeling).
• Market assessment and KAP baseline survey.
• Based on findings and analysis of implementation phase strategy, develop approach for management, training, marketing, and financing models.
• Refinement of approach, and finalization of implementation strategy
• WBC Water distribution Business Plan development and mobilization
• Capacity development of WBCs and local authorities for scheme management and maintenance.
• Community awareness and promotion of piped water schemes.
• Installation of water collection and distribution equipment
• Water filter business plan development.
• Water filter supply chain development with relevant actors.
• Water filter enterprise promotion through community outreach programming.
• WBC meeting/training on water catchment protection and hydrology for disaster risk reduction.
• Establish bio-sand filter/ other filter demonstrations at Barkal Upazila (8 individual locations) (WBCs/WBC sub-centers catchment area)
• Community-level workshops and adolescent club-led community activity days on erosion control
• Upazila-level surveys on existing access, practices, and infrastructural needs for safe water access.
• Life cycle costs analysis with local authorities to divine capital and recurring costs for Upazila-level safe water access.
• Develop Upazila-wide strategic plan for water supply services and financing.
• Participatory review of findings and learnings with WBCs and local authorities.
• Production of learning materials, manuals, and initiation modules for scaling regionally and nationally.
• Carbon financing promotion workshops with targeted stakeholders to develop investment proposals.