Sanitation in Bangladesh: Revolution, Evolution, and New Challenges

Bangladesh is a hub of sanitation experimentation and model-building. It is internationally recognised as the place where Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) first succeeded in eliminating open defecation (OD) from whole villages. This and other achievements rest on a broad foundation. After briefly reviewing the history of sanitation promotion in rural Bangladesh, this paper summarises the most urgent issues and challenges related to sustaining the country’s achievements in 2015. It concludes with some learning points of possible interest to other countries seeking to promote universal sanitation coverage.