Financed by AfD and the Government of Bangladesh, the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) implemented a pre-feasibility study titled "Project Preparation Study for Water Supply, Inclusive Sanitation, and Hygiene in 7 Towns of Bangladesh". The study aimed to enhance urban water, sanitation, and hygiene services across seven municipalities. The sanitation component of the study specifically focused on Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) and Greywater Management (GWM), guided by the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach. This component was carried out by Streams Tech, in collaboration with other consulting firms.

The selected towns were categorized based on their FSM maturity, enabling tailored interventions:

• Category A (Advanced): Faridpur and Kushtia
• Category B (Partial): Magura and Pirojpur
• Category C (Foundational): Bhola, Jhalokathi, and Narail

The study's recommendations aimed at institutionalizing sanitation service delivery, improving governance, and scaling services according to the specific needs of each town.

FSM Optimization and Scaling

• Category A Towns (Faridpur and Kushtia): Strengthen the advanced FSM systems, focusing on demand, monitoring, and financial capacity.
• Category B Towns (Magura and Pirojpur): Strengthen FSM systems by improving service uptake and institutional capacity, particularly addressing Magura’s treatment plant and Pirojpur’s underutilized facility.
• Category C Towns (Bhola, Jhalokathi, Narail): Focus on establishing foundational FSM infrastructure and institutional development, ensuring the safe management of fecal sludge.

Decentralized Greywater Management (GWM)

• Propose decentralized greywater treatment solutions in all towns.
• Recommend formalizing responsibilities within municipalities for GWM, addressing the gap in the national framework.

Institutionalizing Service Delivery under CWIS

• Encourage municipalities to form standing committees, FSM monitoring cells, and service corners to improve customer services.
• Support the adoption of sanitation bylaws, licensing of private FSM operators, and transparent tariff-setting processes to ensure sustainable service delivery.

Capacity Building and Community Engagement

• Develop a seven-year capacity-building plan for DPHE, municipality officials, sanitation workers, and third-party operators.
• Design behavioral change communication (BCC) campaigns to drive demand for FSM and GWM services, alongside community engagement programs to raise awareness.

Service Monitoring, Evaluation, and Governance

• Establish monitoring and evaluation systems to track FSM and GWM service delivery, ensuring accountability and service improvement.
• Recommend national and local committees for FSM coordination, promoting transparency and public involvement.

• Suggest two business models for FSM service delivery: task segregation or assigning a single operator for full service.
• Propose tax and tariff mechanisms to ensure the financial sustainability and profitability of FSM services.

• Situational Analysis: Assessed local and national sanitation conditions through interviews with officials and stakeholders.
• Policy and Institutional Framework: Developed a standardized framework for FSM and GWM, recommending formal roles for municipalities and national agencies.
• Service Design: Proposed sanitation plans, including licensing procedures and service models.
• Capacity Building and Training: Designed a comprehensive capacity-building plan and BCC campaigns for service adoption and awareness.
• Service Monitoring: Developed systems to monitor and evaluate FSM and GWM service performance.