Flowing Forward is a new capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening the institutional capabilities of the water sector in Bangladesh. The project focuses on two key challenges: improving asset management within the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and enhancing the knowledge of public organisations to effectively develop and manage public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Why this project?

Bangladesh faces major water-related challenges: ageing infrastructure, climate change, and a rapidly growing demand for reliable water services. A previous study commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) showed that current maintenance processes are not sufficiently geared towards the long term, that data and knowledge management are fragmented, and that financial resources are not being used optimally. In addition, research commissioned by the Netherlands Embassy indicates strong potential for collaboration with private parties. However, public institutions in Bangladesh currently lack sufficient experience to structure and manage PPP projects in a sustainable manner.

What makes this project unique?

Dutch and Bangladeshi partners jointly determine priorities, select case studies, and co-create training materials. A Project Coordination Group monitors progress and decides on the final structure of the programme following an inception period. The project places a strong emphasis on national expertise: more than half of all training days will be delivered by Bangladeshi experts. During the project, 10–15 experts from Bangladesh will be trained as national trainers, ensuring long-term knowledge retention.

Intended results

The programme aims to contribute to stronger and more sustainable water management in Bangladesh. During the project, BWDB will receive support to embed an asset management framework. Public organisations will be supported to independently develop PPP projects, and a national group of certified trainers will ensure continued knowledge transfer after project completion. Finally, the project emphasises gender equality in the selection of participants and trainers.

Project duration

Flowing Forward will run from December 2025 to September 2027, with a strong focus on ensuring the sustainable continuation of the project by Bangladeshi partners after the Dutch support has ended.

The article is also published on the website of our collaboration partner World Water Academy.

On 4 November, Partners for Water convened Bangladeshi and Dutch partners in The Hague with two clear purposes: Identify opportunities and challenges for PPP in the water sector and make asset management the everyday operating system for water infrastructure in Bangladesh. The day was opened by Neeltje Kielen, Delegated Representative for Water in Bangladesh (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands/RVO), and coordinated on the Dutch side by Michiel Slotema, Bangladesh Programme Advisor at Partners for Water (RVO). It moved from a morning of PPP scene-setting, pitches and a frank fishbowl discussion on early-stage risks to an early-afternoon milestone: a Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) on Asset Management between Bangladesh’s Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Asset management as an operating system: Bangladesh and the Netherlands set the rules of the game.

Why this matters now

Bangladesh, until now a low-income country, will reach middle-income status in 2026. On current trajectories, it is expected to be the world’s 20th-largest economy by 2038 – a transition that raises the bar for infrastructure performance and financing. However, Bangladesh faces fiscal constraints, making it difficult to fund necessary infrastructure projects solely through public budgets. PPPs enable the leveraging of private capital to build critical infrastructure without immediately adding to the country’s debt burden. At the same time, this densely populated delta country is juggling climate extremes, upstream river dynamics, and fast urban and economic change. Too often, water assets fall into a build–neglect–rebuild (BNR) loop. Breaking it takes clear decision rules, reliable Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding, data that drive choices, and governance that links national strategy to field results.

The day at a glance

• Morning – Opening & Embassy framing. Welcome by Neeltje Kielen. The embassy keynote highlights the urgency to take action and the potential opportunities.
• Late morning – PPP pitches + fishbowl. Three targeted pitches followed by a candid discussion on first-mile finance and risk.
• Lunch – Networking break.
• Early afternoon – Milestone. Signing of the SPA MoU to institutionalise asset management (MoWR–BWDB–RVO).
• Mid-afternoon – Scan & roadmap. Maturity assessment and plan for practical change within BWDB.
• Late afternoon – Incentives, governance, and the Official Development Assistance horizon. System fixes, inclusion, and how to sustain progress beyond concessional aid.

“We want partnerships and investment”

Fahim Faisal highlighted how PPP opportunities in wastewater, solid waste and sludge-to-value can advance only when early-stage risks are shared, data and feasibility are realistic, and Dutch and Bangladeshi partners jointly build pipelines rather than one-off projects. This was followed by Hasan Abdullah Towhid, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Embassy of Bangladesh in The Hague, who highlighted both the urgency to take action and the potential opportunities. He underlined climate exposure and paired it with a practical request: technology transfer, knowledge-sharing, and investment via PPPs rather than traditional aid:

“We don’t want more aid… we want technology transfer, knowledge sharing, best practices and investment in terms of profit and public-private partnership.”

With a young workforce and strong engineering talent, his message was simple: the window for value-creating partnerships is now!

Three pitches: practical PPP pathways

Three short pitches highlighted PPP opportunities.

Royal HaskoningDHV – lessons from engagement in PPP and long-term presence in Bangladesh. The team explored how to turn the question of ‘what next’ after treatment into creating value by reusing effluent and sludge with real off-takers. Project Manager Sheila Carvalho explained: “Our project focuses on two components: the feasibility of wastewater post-treatment for Chattogram, and viable reuse of effluent and sludge.”

SNV – PPP in Cumilla and work on small PPPs. SNV standardises bite-size, multi-year PPP contracts (often around 10-year lease/management models) with Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS)-backed tracking so capacity comes first, scale second. Ismène Stalpers, Country Director Bangladesh explained: “We realised very quickly we needed to start at the ground level.”

SweepSmart – PPP in waste and drainage management. SweepSmart pairs drainage upgrades with mixed-waste processing to recover materials and generate Refuse-Derived Fuel revenues. Founder Niels van den Hoek: “Financial viability is concern number one, two and three.”

Fishbowl: the “first-mile” financing gap

The fishbowl discussion soon narrowed to the same hard edge: early-stage risk.

Don Offermans, an independent advisor who has watched plenty of deals wobble, put it bluntly: “You can take four steps successfully and fail on the fifth – and lose all your money.” Léon Weisscher from Invest International drew the line where their capital really starts to move: “Pre-feasibility is often too early for us. We typically fund full feasibility when there’s a clear line of sight to implementation… Development accelerators and export solutions can help, as long as there’s Dutch content.”

Developers can’t build up their Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) capacity for just one small project as they need portfolios, not one-off jobs. How can they work around this? By teaming up across Europe, for example via a Dutch-Danish consortia to satisfy content rules, while plugging capability gaps, and stacking revenue levers where possible: carbon credits on one side, municipal co-finance on the other.

By the end, there was a simple, unanimous core message: spread the first-mile risk between public and private, build pipelines instead of projects, and weave in local finance from day one.

The big moment: a milestone MoU

After lunch, it was time for the day’s milestone: the signing of a new Strategic Partnership Arrangement (SPA) on Asset Management between the Ministry of Water Resources, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The SPA MoU structures cooperation at three levels: implementation (participatory in-polder water management), institution (BWDB’s shift from reactive O&M to proactive asset management), and policy (alignment with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, including steps toward more predictable O&M financing).

Joining from Dhaka, Dr Robin Biswas (BWDB) signed online while Michiel Slotema (RVO/Partners for Water) signed in the conference room. Dr Biswas, an experienced river management specialist and long-time advocate of participatory water governance, called it “a very good moment,” signalling a move “from a reactive to a proactive approach.” He also stated the constraint plainly: “This year, the O&M budget requirement was 130 billion Taka (€915M), but the allocation was only 10 billion Taka (€70M). He explained that most of that is spent on emergency works.” On the cultural hurdle, he added: “It’s the tragedy of the commons – everyone benefits from water, but no one takes responsibility for operation and maintenance.”

The SPA MoU also matters beyond the signatures: it codifies roles, decision rules and funding pathways so that asset management becomes business as usual rather than an add-on – linking day-to-day maintenance, data and budgets to the outcomes the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 demands.

From scan to roadmap: what needs to change within BWDB

Asset management specialist Dr Hala Alhamed presented a structured maturity self-assessment (adapted from the International Infrastructure Management Manual and tailored to BWDB). Ten fields – from strategy and service levels to data, finance, risk and governance – were rated and distilled into various initiatives.

This is what the self-assessment revealed:

• Decisions are not tied to outcomes; priorities change.
• Budgeting is centralised and lacking evidence; it slows routine O&M.
• The organisation is engineering-strong but weak in finance, data, and process capabilities.
• Data exists but it isn’t embedded in approvals, procurement and planning.
• The problem can’t be solved by raising user fees. First, get the management and data right; then talk about fees.

What the roadmap proposes:

• Create an outcome-based decision framework linking O&M/capex to clear criteria.
• Embed asset management in workflows; clarify HQ-district roles; cut approval lag.
• Treat the AM plan as a project; evolve to a single “source of truth” for assets/data.
• Put together a multidisciplinary core team (engineers + finance + analytics + process).
• Start where ownership exists, learn fast, then scale.

Incentives make the system move; governance keeps it honest

Rubaiyath Sarwar (Innovation Consulting) mapped demand, supply, support services and rules (formal and informal) around embankments, gates, dredging, monitoring and maintenance. Two points stood out: money shapes behaviour, and longevity must be rewarded.

On governance and inclusion, Pim de Beer (IOB) reflected on Dutch policy evaluations: upfront system analysis is often missing; designs follow policy templates more than system needs; the sustainability of results is rarely monitored post-project.

Hero Heering (MetaMeta) argued for water management “for a purpose”: pair infrastructure with agricultural value so that users have a reason to maintain it. Set up decentralized emergency O&M funds with clear triggers to stop small issues becoming failures while central budgets move.

Melvin van der Veen (Both ENDS) put power back in the picture: “This is about governance: who is involved in decision-making?” He cited Tidal River Management (TRM) with UTTARAN and the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), where communities and local government co-designed a basin plan which engineers modelled and iterated – along with compensation for landless people during TRM cycles.

These were the connecting themes throughout discussions:

• Make inter-agency collaboration (BWDB, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and others, routine.
• Work at hydrological scales where possible.
• Honour O&M agreements so that community routines are matched by timely government action on larger works.

Five concrete next moves

1. Use the decision framework in the next budget cycle; publish criteria tied to outcomes and document trade-offs for Planning and Finance.
2. Pilot two emergency O&M facilities in selected polders with clear triggers, caps and reporting.
3. Mandate a core asset team (engineers + finance + data + process) to simplify, standardise and drive adoption.
4. Wire one data tool into one approval (e.g., procurement must reference the asset register) and retire parallel spreadsheets.
5. Prototype a longevity incentive: recognize teams and projects that extend asset life beyond design.

These moves are small on their own but together they can change daily decisions.

Looking past Official Development Assistance (ODA)

As Bangladesh advances toward middle-income status, concessional aid will taper. Safeguards proposed by participants: a light-touch TA tail so institutions keep learning after projects close; bridging mechanisms (revolving or outcome-based where appropriate) that carry O&M improvements beyond project timelines; training at scale (e.g. with World Water Academy) to professionalise asset management across agencies; and system monitoring that outlives programmes (fault response times, maintenance cycles, service levels – not just project KPIs).

What Partners for Water can uniquely add

Four roles crystallised:

• Convene (ministries, BWDB, local government, civil society, financiers, Dutch and EU expertise).
• Sequence (scan → roadmap → pilots → scale) to fit institutions.
• Codify what works (model MoUs, WMO agreements, decision framework, simple templates.
• Connect Dutch and EU capability with Bangladeshi ownership so portfolios rather than pilots emerge.

Closing note

The SPA MoU gave the afternoon its milestone. The scan, roadmap, as well as the finance and governance debates gave it direction. In Dr Robin’s words, be “proactive.” In Rubaiyath Sarwar’s, “reward infrastructure that lasts.” Put together, they create a practical recipe to make the build–neglect–rebuild cycle the exception, not the norm, one budget cycle and one maintenance round at a time.

Audience questions and attendees’ ‘homework’ tips and ideas for the moderators kept the debate going through the well-catered end-of-day reception.

Read more about initiatives to break the BNR cycle in Bangladesh here.

An active delta, 140 polders and increasing climate pressures, Bangladesh faces an urgent challenge of maintaining its water infrastructure in a sustainable way. Dr. Robin Biswas of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is pioneering a shift from reactive maintenance to strategic asset management, a transformation that could shape the country’s water future.

As a river management specialist and long-time advocate for participatory water governance, Dr. Robin brings both technical insight and deep field experience. He is now working to guide BWDB’s transition from reactive operation and maintenance (O&M) towards a proactive and holistic approach: asset management (AM). This shift is not merely technical, it is systemic. For years, infrastructure development has followed a cycle of build–neglect–repair (BNR). A recent Partners for Water root cause analysis found that 90% of BWDB’s O&M budget is spent on emergency repairs, leaving little room for forward-looking budget planning.

“That cycle needs to be broken,” explains Dr. Robin “With limited funds and high demand, emergencies always take priority. But by identifying and protecting critical assets, their lifespan can be extended – delivering more reliable and cost-effective services in the long term.”

Changing needs, changing systems

The case for change is clear. Many polders were built in the 1960s and 70s. While they have provided increased water safety and security over the decades, much of the infrastructure is now aging. Meanwhile, livelihoods within these polders are shifting rapidly – from rice cultivation to shrimp farming, vegetables to cash crops – creating different water management needs. “We need infrastructure that can adapt to these realities,” says Dr. Robin. “People are changing their livelihoods, but our systems were designed for a different time.”

This is where asset management comes in. Through a structured, evidence-based approach, BWDB can make better decisions about where to invest and what to maintain. That means using limited resources more effectively, while extending the lifespan of vital infrastructure. This approach aligns with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which highlights the need for adequate funding, strengthened institutional and governance framework and data-driven planning to ensure that infrastructure remains resilient and future-proof.

From pilot to policy: anchoring the transition

With support from the Partners for Water Program, BWDB undertook an organisational maturity scan and is now developing a roadmap to institutionalise asset management. The Asian Development Bank and BWDB are currently considering 5 new polders, with the aim to incorporate elements of the roadmap into these new polders.

This includes integrating AM principles into feasibility studies and project design phases, so that sustainability is embedded from the start. It also means ensuring that AM is not an add-on, but an institutionalised practice, championed from within. “We want this to be a lasting change,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we’re engaging not only our engineers, but also local communities, NGOs, knowledge institutes, departments like agriculture and fisheries and policymakers.”

A shift in mindset and governance

Unlike the Netherlands, Bangladesh’s informal economy and limited tax base mean there is no “beneficiary pays” model for water infrastructure. BWDB relies on central government funds. To secure these, it must demonstrate results and that requires effective governance, inter-agency collaboration and meaningful local participation.
“If farmers don’t understand what we’re doing, we can’t expect them to contribute or cooperate,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we focus on building capacity at the local level, not just among our staff, but within the community itself.” He envisions simple tools like mobile apps, local indicators and peer benchmarking to increase transparency and engagement: “If people can report issues, track performance and see the impact of their own efforts, they will take ownership.”

Looking ahead

For now, the roadmap is clear:

1. Demonstrate value
2. Build momentum
3. Align with the Bangladesh Delta Plan’s 2100 goal of raising O&M spending to 0.5% of GDP

And most importantly: keep learning, adapting and involving others. “Asset management is a way to make water infrastructure adapt with time, not get lost in it,” Dr. Robin concludes.

Want to know more about the Bangladesh asset management pilot or Partners for Water’s involvement?

By 2026, Bangladesh is expected to transition from a low-income to a middle-income country, marking a significant shift in its development landscape. This transition opens up new opportunities for Dutch private organisations and investors to engage more deeply with Bangladesh’s development. In this transition, the collaboration will shift from aid to a partnership based on mutual interests, equal collaborations, and robust economic relations. The Dutch private sector has a chance to play a significant role in this new phase, leveraging its expertise in water management and other important sectors.

But in order to enter this tactical and operational playing field for long-term collaboration, there is work to be done. In this article, two experts share their insights on public-private partnerships in Bangladesh. Fahim Faisal is a researcher and the author of a report commissioned by Partners for Water (PfW) on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities in Bangladesh. Rubaiyath Sarwar supported the development of a vision and strategy for the Dutch Water sector in Bangladesh beyond ODA (Official Development Aid). Together, they identify the Dutch USP (Unique Selling Point) and the six main ingredients for successful partnerships.

The Dutch USP: quality and strategic impact

The Netherlands has been historically recognised for its trustworthy advisory services, knowledge products and high-end technology, strategically working with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) for the last 50 years on water and food security, organisational strengthening and social development topics, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights. The efforts on water and food have culminated in the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP2100). The emphasis on comprehensive, holistic and integrated programming and strategic impact is a hallmark of Dutch bilateral engagement. With Bangladesh’s middle-income status, the dynamics are changing for the better with sustained opportunities for Dutch technology and knowledge.

Bangladesh changes perspective

Bangladesh is evolving in its approach to development projects, emphasising not just cost but also quality and technological advancement. The government is steering this shift. As Rubaiyath notes, “When we talk about Bangladesh, often we have this perception that having a low budget is very important. That’s true in some cases, but both the government and the private sector are gradually recognising that it’s not just about low initial cost, it’s also about quality and added value.”

Government to government (G2G) collaboration to facilitate PPPs

With the transition, opportunities for new collaboration frameworks are coming to the table. One of these potential frameworks is a Government to Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate PPPs. The MoU acts as a binding agreement between governments, reducing political and project risks. Fahim highlights that this form of G2G cooperation minimizes risks and attracts international funding by making projects more attractive to investors. Several countries have already signed a MoU with Bangladesh, and the Netherlands is exploring this option.

Six ingredients to start building long-term relationships in Bangladesh

To establish successful long-term business relationships in Bangladesh, local experts recommend focusing on these six key strategies.

1. Leverage expertise in the water and agricultural sector

Dutch companies face significant competition from established and low-cost consortia dominating the Bangladeshi market. However, the Dutch water sector can build on its long-standing relationships in the water and agricultural sector, and on its reputation for leadership in technical assistance. It can thus continue leading feasibility and technical supervision missions for forthcoming projects. By partnering with soft loan providers, the sector can design projects that will help Bangladesh achieve its Delta Technology goals, while leveraging Dutch technologies. These projects help Dutch companies to gain a foothold, demonstrating their added value in tactical and operational projects.

2. Build strong relationships

Establishing robust relationships with key agencies that are new to the Dutch water sector is crucial for effective project implementation. Engaging with agencies like the PPP Authority and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) ensures reliable project execution and financial backing. Building these relationships takes time, local presence and upfront investments, but ultimately facilitates smoother project development.

Examples: By drawing on the experiences of the British and Danish private sectors, the Dutch private sector can benefit from further intensifying and utilising existing platforms like the Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce & Industry. These platforms foster collaborations, enhance mutual understanding, and offer valuable partnership opportunities. Additionally, developing local lobby groups to advocate for Dutch investments could be a strategic move.

3. Showcase added value

Breaking into established consortia favoured by Bangladeshi agencies, primarily consisting of Asian contractors, is challenging. The Dutch private sector must clearly demonstrate its added value and competitive advantages to persuade the government to consider new partnerships. Effective communication of the sector’s unique strengths and capabilities is crucial in order to enter and compete in the market. As Fahim says “there is often a general awareness of Dutch expertise in agriculture and water management, but specific knowledge about individual companies and their specialties is lacking.” Enhancing the visibility and understanding of Dutch companies’ strengths will facilitate more targeted and effective partnerships with Bangladeshi firms.

Example: Chinese companies dominate the energy sector due to their long-term presence and strong local partnerships. However, despite their low overhead costs, they often fail to deliver projects on time. Highlighting Dutch companies’ superior project management and technological advancements, as well as reduced operational and maintenance costs in the long term can help overcome these established preferences.

4. Use quality as a way into existing consortiums

Dutch firms can leverage their technical expertise and high-quality technology to penetrate the market by focusing on niche opportunities that require premium, long-term solutions. Engaging in technical feasibility assessments and design missions allows Dutch firms to define their scope and demonstrate the business case for high-value investments, influencing tender documents to favour their capabilities. The Dutch private sector could be considered as the partner of choice for sustainable investments.

Example: Japan’s involvement in constructing Dhaka’s new airport terminal highlights how a focus on quality and technological superiority can secure project bids. Their participation in the feasibility study and the development of a robust technological plan, integrated into the procurement process, significantly increased their chances of winning the project.

5. Provide soft loans to reduce risks

Addressing the critical issue of soft loans can help Dutch companies overcome the perception of being expensive high-end technical service providers. Partnering with international financial agencies to offer financing solutions can mitigate the Bangladeshi government’s concerns about higher costs and enhance the attractiveness of Dutch firms in competitive tenders. Projects like these help Dutch companies to gain a foothold and demonstrate their added value.

Example: Japan provided a $1.3 billion low-interest loan for Dhaka’s new airport terminal through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This financial support reduced the project’s risks, making it more viable and attractive.

6. Target specific sectors to capitalise on entry opportunities

There are promising opportunities for the Dutch water sector to engage with government institutes in the fields of water and delta. As Bangladesh transitions from a low-income to a middle-income country, opportunities will extend beyond government initiatives, especially in the private sector. Small to medium size companies in the readymade garment (RMG) sector are shifting towards sustainability, renewable energy, and circular economy practices. All these issues can actually provide opportunities for the Dutch private sector. “And later on Dutch firms can actually capitalise on those entry opportunities and move into other areas,” Rubaiyath explains.

Example: The collaboration within the Dutch Bangla Onion Support in the Bangladeshi onion sector highlights the broad scope of opportunities. Together, they supply integrated solutions aimed at producing better quality onions, reducing post-harvest losses, and ultimately decreasing onion imports while increasing income for onion growers and traders. This collaboration addresses agricultural storage challenges and showcases Dutch versatility beyond water management. The agricultural, circular textile, and IT sectors offer fertile ground for Dutch technological support, fostering sustainable and mutually beneficial growth.

Continued collaboration for sustainable and mutual growth

As Bangladesh evolves, the focus is shifting from merely cost-effective solutions to those that offer quality and technological advancement. This aligns well with the Dutch approach, which emphasises strategic impact and high standards. By adopting these six ingredients for building successful long-term business relationships, Dutch companies can further penetrate the Bangladeshi market. In doing so, they can foster sustainable and mutually beneficial growth, thereby contributing to SDG5 and achieving the Dutch policy goal to increase water security and safety for over a hundred million people worldwide by 2030.

Bangladesh’s coastal polders were built to prevent flooding and saltwater intrusion, but poor governance, weak maintenance, and disjointed coordination have led to waterlogging, erosion, and reduced agricultural productivity. This cycle of inadequate upkeep and recurring failures forces costly reinvestment, perpetuating the Build-Neglect-Rebuild (BNR) pattern.

The Polders of the Future – Sustainable In-Polder Water Management and Resilient Livelihoods in Polder 31 project is an inception phase designed to lay the groundwork for long-term improvements in water management and climate resilience. It builds on findings from the BNR Root Cause Analysis Report and aims to develop a scalable, coordinated approach for better water governance in Bangladesh’s coastal polders.

This six-month inception phase (January – June 2025) is supported through a €300,000 subsidy under the Partners for Water Bangladesh Delta programme. The key outcome of this phase is to secure financing and partnerships for the longer term, full-scale implementation of solutions.

Laying the foundation for sustainable water management

The inception phase will focus on:

• Defining a functional institutional model: Designing an institutional model for in-polder water management, which is locally-led, and at the same time, well-connected with implementing agencies like BWDB.
• Developing a pilot implementation plan: Designing targeted interventions for improved in-polder water management, drainage and salinity control.
• Identifying financing pathways: Engaging relevant stakeholders to secure additional funding for full-scale implementation and long-term sustainability.
• Fostering co-learning and advocacy: Establishing a knowledge-sharing platform to support policy reform and drive systemic change in polder water governance.
• Engaging local actors for long-term maintenance: Ensuring that those who will ultimately be responsible for managing and maintaining water infrastructure are part of the co-creation process.
• Devising an effective and functional coordination mechanism: Establishing a coordination mechanism between different departments like BWDB, DAE, DoF, etc.; and between other institutions like Local Government Institutions (LGIs) and Water Management Organisations (WMOs) to ensure effective coordination.

Who is involved?

This project is funded under the Partners for Water programme and implemented by:

• Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) (Lead Applicant)
• Institute Water Management (IWM) – Technical expert in water resources modelling and management
• Uttaran – NGO with a strong track record in community-driven water management and rural development
  Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) – Providing advisory support and linking the project to broader polder rehabilitation efforts
• Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)

The Road Ahead: Scaling beyond the inception phase

The Polder 31 initiative is not a standalone project, but the first step of a broader effort to transform water governance in Bangladesh’s coastal polders. A critical goal of this inception phase is to secure additional financing and partnerships for full-scale implementation. This will involve collaboration with government agencies, development partners and the private sector to establish a sustainable, scalable model for integrated water management and resilient livelihoods.

By addressing the root causes of the BNR cycle, this initiative directly supports the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and national climate adaptation strategies, ensuring that coastal water infrastructure is managed proactively rather than reactively.

Bangladesh’s rapidly urbanising pourashavas (municipalities) face increasing challenges of water security, climate resilience and sustainable urban development. The Urban Demonstrators Initiative for Climate and Water Resilient Urban Infrastructure in Bangladesh (2nd Cycle), funded under the Partners for Water programme, aims to accelerate scalable, practical water solutions that enhance urban liveability, flood resilience and sustainable infrastructure.

This initiative is supported by a €500,000 subsidy under the Partners for Water programme running from January 2025 – December 2026.

Scaling smart, sustainable water solutions under the Partners for Water Bangladesh Delta programme.

Building on the success of Urban Demonstrators (UDs) in Raozan and Keshobpur, this new phase expands to 4-6 additional pourashavas, demonstrating how small-scale, Nature-based Solutions can be effectively implemented and scaled across Bangladesh’s 330 municipalities.

Context-Driven, scalable approach

• Fast-Tracked Implementation & Co-Creation: Rapid assessment and execution within six months, ensuring that pourashavas and communities play a central role in design, implementation and long-term management.
• Nature-based Solutions (NbS): Using locally available materials and workforce to create green, water-resilient urban spaces.
• Alternative Financing for Sustainability: Small grants act as catalysts for additional municipal and private investments.
• Strengthening Governance & Capacity: Equipping pourashavas and communities with the expertise and structures needed for long-term operation and maintenance (O&M).
• Peer Learning for Scaling: Enabling knowledge exchange between municipalities to accelerate widespread adoption of effective urban water management practices.

The approach empowers cities, their people, and environments to lead their own development through context-specific interventions, while a scalable model—based on rapid scoping and implementation within a year—encourages replication across Bangladesh, fostering citizen action for more liveable cities and building trust between communities and local governments.

Beyond individual interventions: a broader urban vision

By focusing on horizontal upscaling, this initiative goes beyond isolated projects. For example, a green space along an urban canal should not just be a one-time intervention but part of a broader effort to revitalise the entire canal system. Similarly, by engaging with municipal teams and communities, who ultimately maintain these spaces, this approach ensures long-term sustainability and helps prevent the Build-Neglect-Rebuild (BNR) cycle often seen in infrastructure projects.

Who is involved?

The project is funded under the Partners for Water programme and implemented by IHE Delft, in collaboration with:

• 4-6 Pourashavas – Municipal governments implementing solutions in their cities
• ACL – Leading engineering and consultancy firm in Bangladesh
• CEGIS – Experts in environmental and geospatial analysis for sustainable development
• C4RE – Citizen-centred urban design and technical partner

Impact & vision

The Urban Demonstrators Initiative contributes to Bangladesh’s Delta Plan 2100, strengthening the connection between on-the-ground action and national climate resilience goals. By integrating Nature-based Solutions, practical capacity building and innovative financing, this project offers a scalable model for sustainable urban development in Bangladesh.

🔗 Learn more

• Demonstrating smart solutions for resilient cities (un-ihe.org) (November 2021)
• Cities and towns key to Bangladesh’s sustainable development (un-ihe.org) (May 2022)
• Improving quality of life in Bangladeshi towns (un-ihe.org) (June 2022)
• Bangladesh: Small community grants with big, green effects in growing cities (un-ihe.org) (October 2024)
• Key features of Urban Demonstrators (PDF)
• Press release published in Dhaka Tribune  (wdpprepository.org)