Ensuring rights to safe
drinking water and sanitation to the people of hard-to reach and
disadvantaged areas in the dried region has become an urgent need
as they are most vulnerable to the present water-stress context,
speakers at an advocacy meeting said.
They viewed safe drinking water supply and sanitation is the
precondition to ensuring fundamental rights as it’s interlinked
with all other rights like education, health and Medicare.
Moreover, safe water and adequate sanitation is very vital to
free the underprivileged people from waterborne diseases as many
of them suffer from diseases because of their ignorance about
healthcare, lack of adequate sanitation and safe water
facilities.
The observations came at a participatory discussion styled
“Water and Sanitation to the People of disadvantaged and hard-to-
reach areas” held at Tanore Upazila Complex Auditorium in the
district on Tuesday.
Upazila Parishad and Regional Office of NGO Forum for Public
Health jointly organized the programme in association with
‘Enhancing Governance and Capacity of Service Providers and Civil
Society in Water Supply Sanitation Sector Project’ to mark the
World Human Rights Day-2013.
Main thrust of the discussion was to find out effective
strategies to cope with the existing and new challenges regarding
water and sanitation in drought situation in the area.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mazeda Yeasmin addressed the
discussion as chief guest while Regional Manager of NGO Forum for
Public Health Rabiul Haque and its Programme Facilitator Sabit
Jahan spoke as special guests with Upazila Vice Chairman Abdur
Rahim in the chair.
Among others, Upazila Education Officer Nazmul Haque, Youth
Development Officer Shafiquzzaman, Fisheries Officer Bayezid Alam
and Executive Officer of RSDP Jahangir Selim also spoke.
In his keynote presentation, Sarwar-E-Kamal Swapan, Executive
Director of CCBVO, said the changed climatic condition has been
posing a serious threat to the overall public health especially
relating to water and sanitation in the vast Barind tract
especilly Tanore and Godagari Upazilas.
To mitigate the odd situation, substantial and sustainable
promotion of water and sanitation related modern technologies is
needed on urgent basis as the vulnerable water and sanitation
situation is closely associated with the changed situation.
Coordinated efforts of different government and non-
government organisations are essential to address the unusual
condition, he added. -BSS, Rajshahi
