NEC Greenlights 17 Projects Worth Over BDT 8,974 Crore Including Integrated Water, Sanitation, and Waste Management Plan for Displaced Rohingyas and Locals

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a project worth BDT 652.55 crore aimed at improving water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management for displaced Rohingyas and local communities in Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali. The approval came during the last ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year, which also cleared 16 other development projects with a combined budget of BDT 8,974 crore.

The newly approved project, titled “Integrated Services and Livelihoods Improvement for Displaced Rohingya Population and Host Communities,” will be implemented across 11 upazilas in Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali. The financing will include BDT 232.28 crore in loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), BDT 307.48 crore in grants, and BDT 112.78 crore from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). The Department of Public Health Engineering under the Ministry of Local Government will implement the project.

Key features of the project include establishing water transmission lines from Ukhiya to Teknaf, a distribution network, and household connections costing BDT 125 crore. Additionally, 20 mini pipe water supply systems will be installed across nine upazilas in Cox’s Bazar, with a budget of BDT 121 crore. The project will also include the construction of water treatment facilities, development of secondary pipelines in Rohingya camps, maintenance of existing water and sanitation schemes, improvement of physical sludge management systems in Bhasan Char, and rehabilitation of integrated waste management facilities.

Scheduled to start in July 2025 and conclude by June 2028, the project had its scope revised after the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) removed 15 non-essential and irrelevant components.

Despite the primary beneficiaries being Rohingya refugees residing in Ukhiya, Teknaf, and Bhasan Char, the inclusion of other upazilas in Cox’s Bazar and parts of Noakhali (Subarnachar and Hatiya) raised questions. However, Ehteshamul Russell Khan, Additional Chief Engineer (Planning) at the Department of Public Health Engineering, clarified that the project prioritizes regions most affected by the Rohingya crisis.

“This project primarily targets Ukhiya, Teknaf, and Bhasan Char, where the Rohingya population is concentrated. The main objective is to enhance the mini water supply systems. Local communities in the surrounding areas, particularly in other upazilas of Cox’s Bazar, have also been economically affected by the influx of refugees, and therefore, selected areas will receive support. In Noakhali, the activities will focus mostly on fecal sludge management, with a very limited budget,” said Khan.

He also explained that part of the project will extend existing water transmission lines from Ukhiya to Rohingya camps in Teknaf and renovate waste management infrastructure. “Since this is funded by ADB, we are required to follow some of their specific operational guidelines,” he added.

Besides this Rohingya-focused project, ECNEC also approved 16 additional development projects, including:

• BDT 2,549 crore for the expansion of Upazila Complexes under the Ministry of Local Government;

• BDT 1,413 crore for constructing 200-bed drug treatment and rehabilitation centers in seven divisional cities by the Ministry of Home Affairs;

• BDT 248 crore for installing simulators and related infrastructure in four marine academies;

• BDT 184 crore for enhancing access to justice for women and community-based dispute resolution, under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs;

• BDT 1,286 crore for expanding international telecommunications through a third submarine cable, under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications;

• BDT 666 crore for establishing adolescent clubs and BDT 309 crore for strengthening integrated services and quick response teams to prevent violence against women and children, under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs;

• BDT 2,009 crore for the TTF Program under the Ministry of Education;

• BDT 150 crore for the revised project of establishing mobile libraries across the country, under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs;

• BDT 40 crore for establishing a digital database system to enhance development budget management, and BDT 315 crore for improving public investment management, both under the Ministry of Planning;

• BDT 552 crore for modernizing procurement to improve public service delivery;

• BDT 315 crore for strengthening public audit and revenue collection through digital transformation, under the Ministry of Finance.

During the meeting, chaired by the interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, ECNEC members were also briefed on 15 previously approved projects by the Planning Adviser.