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On 26 August 2025, the inaugural session of City-San Connect successfully convened over 80 participants from municipalities, government agencies, NGOs, academia, private sector operators, development partners, and international experts. Organized by ITN-BUET under the SaniRepo platform, the 90-minute virtual dialogue aimed to strengthen cross-city learning and collaboration in urban sanitation.<\/p>\n
The 90-minute virtual dialogue, themed \u201cClimate-Resilient WASH\u201d, was moderated by Alauddin Ahmed, Project Manager at ITN-BUET, and featured national and international experts presenting innovative approaches for climate-smart sanitation systems. Key highlights of the session focused on multiple challenges and solutions.<\/p>\n
Local solutions in action:<\/strong> AHM Khalequr Rahman, Superintending Engineer at DPHE, shared practical experiences in flood-prone areas, including flood-resilient water supply systems, raised latrines, and modular treatment plants<\/strong>. He emphasized community ownership and climate-adaptive municipal planning<\/strong> as critical for sustainability.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/itn.buet.ac.bd\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/City-San-connect-kicks-off-with-first-webinar-on-Climate-Resilient-WASH-1.jpg” title_text=”City-San connect kicks-off with first webinar on Climate-Resilient WASH (1)” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|1px|1px|1px|1px” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/itn.buet.ac.bd\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/City-San-connect-kicks-off-with-first-webinar-on-Climate-Resilient-WASH-4.jpg” title_text=”City-San connect kicks-off with first webinar on Climate-Resilient WASH (4)” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|1px|1px|1px|1px” border_width_all=”1px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/itn.buet.ac.bd\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/City-San-connect-kicks-off-with-first-webinar-on-Climate-Resilient-WASH-5.jpg” title_text=”City-San connect kicks-off with first webinar on Climate-Resilient WASH (5)” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Sanitation as an investment: <\/strong>Kaveri Dhawan, Senior Manager at Dasra, highlighted sanitation as central to public health and resilience, showcasing women-led initiatives, participatory approaches, and innovative financing mechanisms. She called for stronger policy frameworks and partnerships to scale up climate-smart WASH solutions.<\/p>\n Visual Insights: <\/strong>A short documentary by ITN-BUET was screened, illustrating how climate change is already affecting urban sanitation, and highlighting city-level innovations such as modular STPs, container-based sanitation, sensor-driven monitoring, planning tools, and governance strategies<\/p>\n Interactive Exchange: Participants<\/strong> engaged in a lively Q&A, exploring ways to:<\/p>\n Way forward: <\/strong>With strong participation and knowledge exchange, City-San Connect reaffirmed its role as a collaborative platform<\/strong> for showcasing real-world solutions, inspiring peer learning, and driving collective action toward achieving SDG 6.<\/p>\n\n