Ensuring pro-poor water, sanitation hygiene system stressed

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BSS, Rajshahi :
Experts at a workshop in the city today opined that emphasis should be given on ensuring pro-poor water, sanitation and hygiene arrangements as they need the privileges in their respective areas for their sound health.
They observed that most of the poor and marginalized population face problems as they couldn’t use their toilets and latrines despite of their need.
They also stressed the need for establishing and promoting a dynamic and participatory sustainable process towards healthy human development coupled with achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They were addressing the opening session of a three-day Rajshahi divisional “Joint WASH Sector Review: WASH Bottleneck Analysis Workshop” at Nanking Darbar Hall in the city.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner office organised the workshop in association with UNICEF. More than 95 people comprising government and non-government officials’ concerned and other stakeholders are taking part in the review meeting.
Divisional Commissioner Nur-ur-Rahman addressed the workshop as the chief guest with Director of Local Government Shayam Kishore Roy in the chair. Additional Commissioner Aminul Islam, Joint Secretary of Policy Support Branch of Local Government Division Abdur Rouf and Deputy Commissioner SM Abdul Kader also addressed.
Nur-ur-Rahman said the present government is pledged bound to ensure universal access to safe drinking water without arsenic contamination, total quality sanitation and comprehensive hygiene promotion. He said the government has been spending heavily for development of the water and sanitation sector through budgetary allocation. Rahman urged the field level officials concerned and community people to extend their wholehearted cooperation towards the government projects. He stressed the need for developing child-friendly water and sanitation technologies and expansion of those to the rural level as early as possible. The chief guest also proposed developing understanding and increase community response to overcome the existing problems in this regard. Effective implementation of WASH interventions combined with nutrition would indeed contribute in uplifting the nutritional status of the division. Apart from this, the workshop shared learning, challenges and achievements of the water and sanitation project being implemented at union parishad level in the district.
Many of the participants viewed that the government constructed latrines in the schools even separate for boys and girls by spending huge money but still not took up necessary measures on how the latrines will be kept clean or maintained regularly.
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