Water and sanitation

Water and sanitation
Only 36 per cent of the population use improved latrines.
Only 80 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water, primarily because of naturally occurring arsenic contamination of groundwater in some areas.
Safe hygiene practices, especially proper hand washing, remain a challenge in the fight against disease.
Emergencies and conflict
Development is hampered by annual floods and other natural disasters, including cyclones and tornados. Bangladesh is also susceptible to earthquakes.
Avian influenza continues to threaten lives and livelihoods in Bangladesh.
Low-lying Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in south-eastern Bangladesh, where ethnic minorities make up half the population, have suffered a slower development rate than the national average, due primarily to a history of civil conflict and the difficult terrain.
The health and wellbeing of Rohingya refugee children, whose families fled from Myanmar to the south-eastern part of Bangladesh following internal conflict, remains a concern.