Strengthening capacities for planning of sanitation and wastewater use : experiences from two cities in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

This report starts with a description of the methodology followed in the Wastewater Agriculture and Sanitation for Poverty Alleviation (WASPA) in Asia Project (2005-2008), including the overall project approach and some key concepts applied. It then describes the context of the two study areas, Rajshahi in Bangladesh and Kurunegala in Sri Lanka, including an overview of the physical situation related to sanitation and wastewater management, as well as the key institutions. The results section lays out the project findings in the form of a reflection on the key hypotheses and premises of the conceptual framework. The objective of the paper is to provide a critical reflection, based on the project’s findings in the two towns, on how the problems of inadequate sanitation services and health risks associated with wastewater use in agriculture could be addressed simultaneously through integrated planning of sanitation services delivery and wastewater management. Although ultimately this approach will affect people’s health and livelihoods, these impacts are not explicitly evaluated in this document. Rather, the focus is on analysis of the approach in terms of impact on stakeholder capacity for such integrated planning.

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