Global Handwashing Day today

Global Handwashing Day is being observed today amid concerns over Bangladesh’s failure to turn hygiene awareness into lasting handwashing habits, as shortages of soap and water and poor maintenance undermine access to basic facilities.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2025, around 32 per cent of households lack handwashing facilities with soap and water.

A study by icddr,b at 13 major hospitals in Dhaka found that around 30 per cent of more than 2,500 handwashing basins were non-functional and 40 per cent were unclean. Meanwhile, a 2022 WHO-UNICEF report found that 44 per cent of schools lacked basic handwashing facilities.

Experts say regular supplies of soap and water, proper maintenance and stronger supervision are essential to making handwashing a lasting habit.

Dr Sushanta Roy of the Department of Public Health Engineering said many handwashing stations installed during the Covid-19 pandemic had become unusable due to inadequate maintenance.

Meanwhile, icddr,b has introduced a low-cost soap-and-water solution. In a pilot project at 18 institutions in Cox’s Bazar, soap availability at handwashing stations reportedly rose from 35 per cent to more than 95 per cent.

- MaT