Project Background
Increasing Access to Improved WASH Services in Bangladesh (IWASH) is a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project implemented by Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha (TUS) in Dighinala Upazila, Khagrachari Hill District. The project is funded by charity: water with technical support from HELVETAS Bangladesh.
The project responds to persistent WASH challenges in remote hill communities where difficult terrain, seasonal water scarcity, climate-related hazards, water-quality risks and limited access to appropriate infrastructure can restrict reliable access to safe water and sanitation. Women, children, adolescent girls, older people, persons with disabilities and hard-to-reach households are particularly affected by these constraints.
Project Goal
To improve access to safe, inclusive, affordable and climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services for communities and institutions in Dighinala, while strengthening local systems for operation, maintenance, hygiene behaviour, water safety and long-term sustainability.
Geographic Coverage
The TUS implementation focuses on Dighinala Upazila, Khagrachari Hill District, including remote communities and schools where WASH access, functionality, water quality and climate resilience require targeted support.
Key Components and Implementation Areas
- Water-supply planning and feasibility: feasibility studies, site assessment, detailed survey, design, estimation and BoQ preparation for community- and institution-specific water interventions.
- Water-system development and rehabilitation: construction, rehabilitation and improvement of appropriate water systems based on local terrain, source availability and community needs.
- Climate-resilient technologies: support for context-appropriate systems such as solar-powered pumping, treated surface-water systems, deep boreholes / tube wells and other safe-water technologies suitable for hard-to-reach hill locations.
- Water quality and safety: routine water-quality testing, monitoring, water-safety planning and follow-up actions to reduce health risks and improve service reliability.
- Community and school sanitation: support to improved sanitation facilities, school WASH planning, school latrines and septic systems where applicable.
- Hygiene promotion: hygiene-promotion sessions at community and school level, handwashing awareness, social campaigns and behaviour-change activities.
- Menstrual Hygiene Management: awareness, facilities and community engagement supporting safe and dignified menstrual hygiene practices for adolescent girls and women.
- Water User Committees and caretakers: formation, training and follow-up of community management structures, caretakers and local service actors responsible for operation and maintenance.
- Local WASH governance: engagement with WASH Standing Committees, Union Parishad WASH desks, Health Village Groups, Mother’s Parliament and other local platforms.
- Annual check-in and follow-up: household and technology-level monitoring to measure access, functionality, use, service quality and emerging implementation gaps.
Implementation Approach
IWASH follows a community-centred and evidence-based implementation process. Activities include site selection, consultation with communities and schools, technical assessment, design and estimation, implementation, water-quality testing, caretaker training, hygiene promotion and follow-up monitoring. Community participation and local ownership are integrated throughout planning and implementation.
The 2026 TUS work plan also includes staff planning and capacity-building, progress-sharing with Upazila and Union stakeholders, WASH Standing Committee meetings, Health Village Group and Mother’s Parliament engagement, school and community hygiene sessions, feasibility studies for future water systems, annual check-in activities and reporting to charity: water.
Monitoring, Learning and Accountability
The project uses baseline information, annual check-in data, monthly progress reporting, water-quality results, field monitoring and community feedback to assess progress and service quality. Monitoring covers water-system functionality, household and institutional access, WASH behaviour, committee and caretaker capacity, sanitation services and implementation challenges.
TUS maintains digital monitoring and reporting systems for IWASH and uses evidence from field visits, household surveys and implementation tracking to improve planning, identify gaps and support transparent reporting to project stakeholders.
Sustainability and Local Ownership
Sustainability is built around local participation, caretaker and committee capacity, operation-and-maintenance systems, water-safety planning, coordination with local government structures and continued follow-up. The project aims not only to construct or rehabilitate infrastructure, but also to strengthen the systems required to keep WASH services functional and accessible over time.
Partnership
Implementing Organisation: Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha (TUS)
Funding: charity: water
Technical Support: HELVETAS Bangladesh
Working Area: Dighinala Upazila, Khagrachari Hill District
Implementation Year: 2026
Project Acronym: IWASH
