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Concerns have been on the rise around the globe regarding better sanitation management, which is one of the basic human rights, owing especially to the present goal of sustainable development, more specifically Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Proper sanitation management is a challenging issue in Bangladesh. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current state of sanitation and hygiene facilities and management in Chattogram City, Bangladesh. This study was conducted via questionnaire survey, key informant information (KIIs), stakeholder meetings, and field visits. A survey was conducted on slum dwellers and non-slum dwellers (formal settlements) of the city. A total of 400(=n) randomly selected respondents were interviewed (200 from each group) from eight wards of the metropolitan city, six KIIs, and three stakeholder meetings. Field visits were made to observe the conditions along with a pilot survey to validate the questionnaires. A purposive sampling method was employed for this study, while both descriptive and quantitative statistical analyses were conducted. Statistical analysis of the survey results and field observation found inadequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, insufficient community toilets, improper waste disposal, and drainage facilities in the city. Sanitation was worse in slum areas than in the non-slum neighborhoods. 55.4% of slum dwellers had no/little awareness of the sanitary system. While 89% of families in slum areas use shared toilets, unhygienic toilets caused different diseases to 63.7% of respondents. Drainage conditions were almost equally insufficient in both groups. 65% of respondents did not have any community toilets in their locality. The sanitation management system is not well-equipped and it is a pressing need to make better plans and implement sufficient management strategy for the total sanitation of the city.

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The plight of humanity in refugee camps is an age-old issue, as is the ever-increasing issue of waste management, especially medical waste. Though situations have improved in recent times for refugee camps, the same cannot be concurred about medical waste management, as it increases in amount every day. This is the first study on the refugee camp, which was conducted to assess the status of medical waste management and to quantify and characterize medical wastes disposed of in the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. A cross-sectional, qualitative, and quantitative study was done. A total of 499 households, 30 solid waste collectors, 30 HCF workers, and 21 solid waste management (SWM) plant workers were interviewed by KoBo Toolbox. Monthly medical waste collection data from February to June 2022 was also collected. Data collection, processing, and statistical analysis were done using Origin Pro and SPSS software. It was found that the camps did not follow any specific guidelines for medical waste management except for a few segregations in healthcare facilities (HCF). Though 88% of the respondents were aware of the hazardous nature of medical waste, most of them disposed of these wastes in open places (49%) and drains (44%), and 70% did not segregate it from regular waste at the household level. Moreover, 73% of solid waste management workers found medical waste daily in communal bins. The HCF did not keep any records on the production of medical waste. Different types of medical waste were found in communal bins; glass bottles containing medicines were common among them. Data from the material recovery facility (MRF) of this camp showed that the highest amount of medical waste found in the communal bins was in April (65 kg) during the seasonal change from spring to summer and the lowest in February (12.7 kg). Moreover, HCF’s existing medical waste management practices were analyzed with SWOT and DPSIR framework. Based on all the findings, a comprehensive on-site and off-site management plan for medical waste is also proposed here. That will help the concerned prepare a camp medical waste management guideline.

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