Creating access to safe drinking water and WASH facilities in the disaster porn area of Bangladesh
Background:
The southwestern coastal regions of Bangladesh, especially Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat District, face acute challenges in water and health due to climate change and geographic isolation. Groundwater salinity and tidal breaches contaminate traditional water sources, leaving women and children to endure long treks for drinking water and exposing them to waterborne diseases. The region’s limited access to medical services exacerbates health vulnerabilities, with frequent climate-induced disasters and poor infrastructure further straining healthcare systems. A lot of remote areas like Gabura of Shyamnagar and Bedkashi of Koyra suffer from inadequate healthcare, with issues such as malnutrition, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and gynecological conditions stemming from arduous daily activities.
In response, LEDARS implements integrated programs to alleviate water scarcity, reduce the burden on women, and deliver essential health services, ensuring smart and sustainable solutions for these pressing challenges.
Major Interventions
Enhancing Access to Safe Drinking Water by Deploying Technologies
LEDARS has long history to installation of low cost, long duration solution for the treatment of surface and underground water. LEDARS is excavating drinking water ponds, installing Pond Sand Filters (PSFs), Biosand Filters, Manage Aquifer Research (MAR), Rainwater Harvesting System, Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants, rainwater Harvesting Systems. LEDARS also activating the inactive Pond Sand Filters (PSFs) in the disaster affected area to maximum uses of available resources to solve the drinking water crisis. These initiatives aim to ensure clean and affordable water for underserved communities, complemented by water education programs to raise awareness about safe water practices.
Capacity Building and Community Awareness
LEDARS conducts capacity-building training for staff members and the Committee form for the management of water tachylogias in the project area. we are proving technical training to know how to manage different technologies in their community. LEDARS is conducting ‘Water Education Session’ in the community so that community people be aware about the water crisis, water resource management, daily hygiene practice, conservation of potable water from source to drink, etc. Besides this LEDARS is publishing and distributing leaflets, poster and other educational materials, conduct cultural program, mass gathering etc. to aware community people.
Introduce Water on Wheel(WOW) for Last Miles Community
Though LEDARS is installing suitable solution for drinking water, but still there have some corner where the services are in lack and people suffering severe drinking water. In this context, LEDARS introduce a water cart in the name of “Water on Wheels” (WOW) to reach the people is remote area who don’t have access to safe drinking water.
Primary Healthcare in Sundarbans Island
LEDARS operates medical camps in remote Sundarban island areas, providing health cards, essential medicines, and counselling services for the poor and vulnerable people of the Sundarbans Island area of Bangladesh. LEDARS operate 14 medical camps in a month in the targeted area.
Health for the Women in the Coastal Area
Women of the poor family faces severe health crisis in the coastal area. Cervical infection, skin diseases, hyper tension, is the common scenarios of the coastal area.
LEDARS operating gynecological medical camp in the coastal area for the women who are potential risk of cervical infection in the saline prone area of the country. These initiatives address healthcare disparities in isolated communities, mitigating climate-induced health risks.
Installation of Disaster Resistance Toilet
LEDARS innovate a new design of low-cost flood and cyclone resistance toilet for the cyclone prone area. till now, LEDARS installed 703 disaster resilience toilets in the disaster affected area of Khulna and Satkhira regions.
Water Quality Monitoring Services
LEDARS always test the water quality of different technology installed by LEDARS and other NGOs. Besides this LEDARS established a Laboratory to test water quality. Anyone can test different parameter of their water quality from the laboratory. This intervention helps communities understand and address water safety concerns, strengthening local capacities to manage water-related challenges.
Integrated Health and Water Advocacy
LEDARS combines water and health interventions by organizing community events and sensitization campaigns, emphasizing the interconnectedness of clean water and improved health outcomes. This holistic approach promotes long-term resilience against climate-induced vulnerabilities.
Major Accomplishments
- Access to safe drinking water created for more than 17,000 families.
- 650 disaster resilience Toilet has been distributing to the 564 families.
- 6300 Bio Sand Filter (BSF) has been installed among the 6300 families.
- 47 Pond Sand Filter (PSF) has been re-activation and 13 PSF has been installed in the working area.
- 10 Manage Aquifer Research (MAR) established in the pilot basis.
- 244 Rainwater Harvesting System installed including 5 Community base rainwater harvesting system.
- 4 Reverse Osmosis (RO) installed in the area.
- 3 Water on Wheel (WOW) launched and distributing water in the community.
- 1,860 Medical camp conduct for providing primary health care services among the 17,314 beneficiaries.
- 22 gynecological service camp organized 2640 women get services from the camp.
- 882 orientation sessions enabled the community people about necessary knowledge and information regarding safe water.
- 74 Technology management Committee Formed and actively managing the technologies.
- 6 advocacy activities organized where people demonstrated their demand to the policy actors.
International Recognitions
- LEDARS won the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2023 in the water category.
- LEDARS got 3rd prize in the World Water Showcase at the 7th World Water Forum, 2015 organized in Korea.
- LEDARS is one of the top ten organizations by Kyoto World Water Grand Prize in the 4th World Water Forum 2006.