Research Series

Shortage of safe drinking water is one of the problems being faced by the citizens of Dhaka. While the concerned agencies are continuously striving for increasing the supply, a demand […]

ITN-BUET conducted a research on the social aspect of solid waste management titled ‘Waste Pickers’ Livelihoods, their Vulnerability and Possible Measures to Overcome the Existing Condition’ during 2008-09, an area which received very little attention previously for research within the domain of solid waste management. The publication is the outcome of this study.

Contamination of groundwater with arsenic is considered as a major challenge in the water supply sector of Bangladesh. ITN-BUET has conducted a number of researches on arsenic issue. In continuation of ITN-BUET initiatives, a research on “Leaching of Arsenic from Wastes of Arsenic Removal Systems” was conducted by ITN-BUET during 2001 to 2002. This publication is the outcome of this initiative.

Contamination of groundwater with arsenic is considered as a major challenge in the water supply sector of Bangladesh. ITN-BUET has conducted a number of researches on arsenic issue. In continuation of ITN-BUET initiatives, a research on “Effectiveness of Alum in Removing Arsenic” was conducted by ITN-BUET during 2001 to 2002. This publication is the outcome of this initiative.

The research focused on development of a community based Arsenic-Iron Removal Unit (AIRU) adopting the technique of adsorption and co-precipitation of arsenic onto the flocs of ferric hydroxide, making use of the naturally occurring iron of groundwater. The operation and maintenance of the developed AIRU are simpler and more users friendly in comparison to the previously developed community based water treatment units. Number of beneficiaries and water consumption was increased by about 10 folds after the installation of the AIRU.

A field kit was developed which used non-toxic Silver Nitrate soaked papers as indicator. Adsorption capacities of arsenic by different materials were tested in the laboratory, in which good removal potential was found in Bijoypur clay, bleached sawdust and newspaper pulp.

Personal and household behaviors and sanitation practices by the majority of the population to a large extent are unhygienic. Program planning whether it be for the installation of a latrine or sinking of a tube-well, it must always take into consideration the needs of the ultimate users and responsibilities must be delegated among the community according to capability and sustainability.

People’s perception about the existing communication materials on rural water supply and sanitation programme has been examined in the study wherefrom the factors influencing the effectiveness of materials have been identified and finally, a set of recommendations has been made towards development of effective communication materials.

Overflowing of latrine during monsoon flood and heavy rainfall is a common scenario in Bangladesh. To overcome this common problem, an attempt was made to provide technological solutions for safe sanitary latrines based on the concept of ‘raised latrine’ constructed above flood level in flood-prone and high water table areas. The technologies include ‘Earth Stabilized Raised Pit Latrine’, ‘Step Latrine’, ‘Mount Latrine’ and ‘Sand Enveloped Pit Latrine’.

By and large, This document is a comprehensive database of research and development activities of the Government, non-government organizations, development partners and other agencies working in the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector. The situation of research in WSS sector in Bangladesh with emphasis on technical, social and arsenic interventions have been analyzed in this study. The followings have been delineated in the report