Overview For coastal communities, the call for climate action is resounding. At the frontlines of sea level rise, storm surges, and other climate impacts, these areas need urgent support and targeted, innovative solutions. In Bangladesh, coastal towns are highly exposed and ill-prepared. Pourashavas (municipalities) are often affected by cyclones and prolonged flooding. If not causing direct loss of life or property, these conditions force residents to cope with congested and overflowing drainage systems, as well as limited access to safe water and sanitation. The Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) addressed these concerns through the Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project, embedding climate adaptation into sanitation, drainage, water supply, solid waste management, emergency access roads, and transport terminals. The project underscored that coastal communities require a different approach to design, governance, and operations. Context Access to these basic water and sanitation services is fundamental to people's quality of life and cannot be left unchecked as climate hazards increase and intensify. Sanitation and water supply infrastructure in coastal towns—and the capacity to operate and maintain them—must account for these current realities to ensure people’s well-being now and for the years to come. The Government of Bangladesh recognized this challenge under its Strategic Program for Climate Change (2010), which sought to pilot new approaches for integrating climate resilience into the development of coastal pourashavas. The Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project started in 2014 and concentrated on 10 municipalities. Challenges Coastal towns in Bangladesh face overlapping infrastructure and climate risks. Cyclones and prolonged flooding frequently damage sanitation and drainage systems and limit access to safe water. Although up to 94% of households in certain coastal towns had toilets prior to the project, many were pit latrines that would easily be inundated during storms and flooding. Without septage management or effective treatment systems, wastewater often flowed directly into drains—polluting waterways and increasing cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea after disasters. Water supply systems faced similar constraints. They were below par prior to ADB investment, with limited piped water connections and infrastructure vulnerable to cyclones and flooding. Increasing saline intrusion due to climate change further affected water quality and the availability of potable water. Weak governance and low adaptive capacity also limited the ability of local institutions to respond effectively. Solutions To address the challenges, the Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project combined infrastructure investments with institutional strengthening and climate-informed design. Design with intentionSanitation, in particular, needed to be overhauled. The Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund (backed by the Gates Foundation), under ADB’s Water Financing Partnership Facility, stepped in with cofinancing support. The grant enabled the construction of two integrated environmental sanitation facilities in the towns of Barguna and Pirojpur. The project also built 103 community latrines across eight towns and provided 14,719 households with access to climate-proofed sanitation facilities. This lack of safe and adequate sanitation exemplified the larger infrastructure deficit of coastal towns. Factoring these conditions into the design of the facilities was crucial. Infrastructure designs incorporated climate projections for 2040. A climate-proof building code was also developed and adopted, and over 90 kilometers of new and improved drainage were constructed. Add layers of resiliency and redundancyPart of resilience building in Bangladesh’s coastal towns is reducing the vulnerability of marginalized communities. While climate change spares no one, its effects can be doubly hard on those with less resources and ability to fend for themselves. The project built 22 multipurpose cyclone shelters, which can accommodate 8,800 households. These shelters also have proper toilets for men and women, lessening the risk of chronic diseases due to unsanitary conditions. This is particularly important for women and girls, who have historically carried a greater burden from inadequate sanitation and water supply. The cyclone shelters also have rooms for breastfeeding mothers, child delivery, and first aid. Implement complementary interventionsImproving sanitation infrastructure is better done in tandem with upgrading water supply systems. Both water and sanitation are indispensable to daily living. More than 175 kilometers of pipes were installed and/or upgraded, 15 tube wells were installed, and over 13,500 new water service connections were made, including to poor communities. The quality of drinking water also rose to 90% from 40% in 2013. Water supply is no longer a limited commodity among the 10 project towns, and women no longer need to collect water from distant locations and face precarious situations, such as slipping and getting injured, especially when there is rainfall. Build capacity and community awarenessInstitutional capacity and community awareness were strengthened to maximize the resilient infrastructure introduced. The high vulnerability of the coastal pourashavas was partly due to poor governance and low adaptive capacity. Urban planning was still at a nascent stage. To remedy this gap, the project conducted several meetings, training sessions, and workshops for relevant government staff and local community members. Participants learned about climate change, waste management, cleaning drains, maintaining hygiene and sanitation, and water use efficiency. They also conducted community awareness campaigns on disaster preparedness. At the broader institutional level, the project supported local governments in preparing urban master plans with climate change considerations. Ten water safety plans and 10 operations and maintenance plans with water tariff structures were developed, as well as integrated drainage plans for two towns. The project’s gender action plan ensured that women were actively involved in these discussions and planning. Women were consulted in designing community facilities, such as toilets, tube wells, and cyclone shelters. They were also allotted key positions and given membership in water and sanitation user groups, including the 16 community-based organizations set up to manage each community toilet. Outcomes The Coastal Towns project has shown that pourashavas near the Bay of Bengal are not untenable. Integrating resilience into coastal development can be achieved, and climate-proofed sanitation and water supply must be part of that ecosystem of basic services. Improved sanitation lowered the incidence of waterborne diseases by over 76%, from 50% in 2011. Average household incomes also increased by over 30% due to reduced sick days and inundation. For women especially, with less time needed for water collection and other unpaid domestic duties, they were able to pursue income-generating activities, such as small businesses or labor contracting roles under the project. Women in the water and sanitation user groups have contributed to promoting behavioral change in their communities, arranging home visits to share cyclone forecasts, encouraging the use of cyclone shelters, and organizing relief distribution. Lessons Learned The project demonstrated that climate resilience in coastal towns depends on integrating sanitation, water supply, and drainage systems within a unified approach rather than addressing them separately. It also highlights the importance of using long-term climate projections in infrastructure planning, as well as strengthening institutional capacity alongside physical investments. Gender inclusion proved important not only for equity but also for improving service design, management, and community uptake. Combining infrastructure with community-based governance structures helped reinforce behavioral change and local ownership. This project, completed in 2021, is featured in the Water Financing Partnership Facility Annual Report 2025, which summarizes the activities and achievements of the Facility from January to December 2025. Resources Asian Development Bank. 2026. Water Financing Partnership Facility Annual Report 2025. ADB. 2025. Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project: Completion Report. ADB. 2014. Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project: Report and Recommendation of the President. ADB. 2013. Water Financing Partnership Facility Approval for Fund Allocation. Unpublished. ADB. 2013. Coastal Towns Infrastructure Improvement Project: Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report. Ask the Experts S. A. Abdullah Al Mamun Senior Project Officer (Urban Infrastructure), Sectors Department 2, Asian Development Bank S. A. Abdullah Al Mamun is a development professional with 24 years of experience working with the Asian Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, UNICEF, and Practical Action Across South Asia. He brings strong expertise in project and portfolio management, partnerships, and policy and knowledge sharing. His core areas of work include water supply and sanitation, climate resilient and low carbon urban infrastructure, renewable energy, municipal finance, governance, and community led development. Tanya Huizer Senior Water Resilience Specialist, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sector Department 2, Asian Development Bank Tanya Huizer has experience in coastal and river management, nature-based solutions, and resilient cities. She manages the Water Resilience Trust Fund and works on river basin peer-to-peer learning, youth engagement, laundry transformation, partnerships, healthy rivers and food systems and capacity development. Jitendra Kumar Singh Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sectors Department 2, Asian Development Bank Jitendra Kumar Singh has 24 years of experience working on various water supply and sanitation projects. He manages the Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund under the ADB-managed Water Financing Partnership Facility, which aims to improve access to safe sanitation in Asia and the Pacific. He is a civil engineer with a post-graduate degree in Environmental Engineering and Management. Urmee Bhattacharjee Associate Project Officer, South Asia Department, Asian Development Bank Urmee Bhattacharjee is a development professional with over 16 years of experience at ADB, specializing in the urban sector. Her expertise includes project processing and implementation, portfolio management, procurement coordination, disbursement monitoring, and project administration. She has worked closely with government agencies, consultants, development partners, and project management units to support urban infrastructure and climate resilience projects. Her strengths include project coordination, monitoring and reporting, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge management. Elga Reyes Consultant, Asian Development Bank Elga Reyes is a communications and knowledge management consultant with over 12 years of experience, primarily with the Asian Development Bank. She has supported the sectors of transport, urban development, and water, as well as technical assistance projects focused on future cities, ASEAN smart cities, waste management, and the circular economy. She has also written for UNICEF Philippines, Eco-Business, and other international and local publications and platforms. Leave your question or comment in the section below: View the discussion thread.