DHAKA, Dec 20, 2024 (BSS) - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has
approved three operations totaling US$1.16 billion to help Bangladesh improve
health services, boost water and sanitation services and achieve greener and
climate-resilient development.

"Bangladesh is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change and
faces the greatest pollution challenges. Improving climate resilience in
every sector and tackling the pollution scourge has become a critical
development priority," said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank (WB) Country Director
for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

"These new financing will bring to the people of Bangladesh essential
services such as health and water and sanitation while laying the foundation
for clean, climate resilient and sustainable development," he added.

The $500 million Second Bangladesh Green and Climate Resilient Development
Credit will support reforms to help the country's transition to green and
climate-resilient development, said a WB press release here today.

The financing supports policy reforms to improve public planning and
financing and implementation for green and climate-resilient interventions at
local and national levels and promote clean and resource-efficient production
and services in key sectors.

As a prerequisite to the credit, the Planning Commission has adopted the
Multi-Year Public Investment Programme Guidelines for key sectors, integrated
with the Medium-Term Budget Framework.

The financing also supports policies to reduce air pollution, improve
environmental enforcement, expand access to carbon markets, enhance
sustainable water and sanitation services, improve the efficiency of the
Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, and advance a climate-resilient and sustainable
environment.

To effectively implement the Delta Plan, the Planning Division has adopted
the Delta Appraisal Framework. The financing also supports sustainable public
procurement incorporating environmental and social considerations.

It will further help improve the energy efficiency of buildings and
appliances and incentivize the construction sector to become greener.

The $379 million Health, Nutrition, and Population Sector Development
Program-For-Results will help improve access to quality health and nutrition
services and build resilient health systems in Sylhet and Chattogram
divisions.

It will provide quality health, nutrition, and population services to about
5.1 million people. The program will help reduce maternal and neonatal
mortality by increasing the number of births, both normal delivery and
Caesarian section deliveries, in public health facilities.

It will ensure that vulnerable women in the most climate-vulnerable districts
are reached. The program will also strengthen the health care system to
effectively respond to evolving health needs such as screening and treating
hypertension and other conditions.

Alongside the World Bank financing, the Global Financing Facility for Women,
Children and Adolescents (GFF) is providing a catalytic $25 million grant to
support the government in prioritizing interventions such as child nutrition,
adolescent health, quality maternal and newborn care, data use and
coordination.

The $280 million Chattogram Water Supply Improvement Project will provide
safe water through new and rehabilitated piped water connections to over one
million people in Chattogram.

It will build about 200,000 new household water connections and provide
improved sanitation services to about 100,000 people in low-income
communities.

This project is part of a World Bank South Asia regional initiative or
program of programs to provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services
to about 100 million people across the region by 2035.

It will also help the Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA)
improve operational efficiency and financial sustainability and address
issues related to water loss such as high levels of leakage, metering
inaccuracies, and illegal connections.

The project will help reduce water losses by installing new water meters and
operationalizing 46 Smart District Metered Areas (DMAs) for reliable water
supply, leakage detection, and real-time tracking of water consumption.

It will help strengthen the utility systems, financial performance and
creditworthiness covering tariff roadmap, and building CWASA's capacity for
long-term infrastructure and business planning systems, data management,
asset management, communication strategy and disaster preparedness.

The World Bank was among the first development partners to support Bangladesh
following its independence.

Since then, the World Bank has committed more than $45 billion in
International Development Association (IDA) financing in the form of grants,
interest-free loans, and concessional credits to help the country address its
development priorities. In recent years, Bangladesh has been among the
largest recipients of the World Bank's interest-free credits.