Speakers at a meeting in Rajshahi called for the right to safe drinking water and sanitation in the vulnerable communities in the dry regions of the country, to ensure the health of local inhabitants.
They made the call at a discussion entitled, “Knowledge Sharing on Salient Governance-related Issues.” The event on Saturday was organised by the regional office of the NGO Forum for Public Health.
Lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a national problem rather an individual one, observed the speakers.
There was no alternative but to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in the sector, they said.
Executive Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan Millat, Talanda Union Parishad Chairman Akheruzzaman Hannan and Centre for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organisations Chief Executive Sarwar-e-Kamal Swapan spoke at the occasion.
They said people in the drier part of the country had become vulnerable in terms of access to safe water and sanitation, as both surface and underground water resources were depleting.
Supply of safe drinking water and sanitation were the prerequisites to meet fundamental rights like education and health.
Moreover, safe water and adequate sanitation facilities are crucial to protect the underprivileged community from different waterborne diseases, as many of them suffer from such diseases because of their ignorance about healthcare, they said.
District Facilitator of Bangladesh Local Governance Support Project (LGSP)-II Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal said climate change had been posing a serious threat to public health in the vast Barind Tract covering the Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts.
To mitigate the situation, substantial promotion of water management and modern technology related to sanitation was needed immediately, he remarked.
Coordinated efforts from different government and non- government sectors were essential to fight the vulnerability, he suggested.
Programme Facilitator of NGO Forum for Public Health Sabit Jahan Sisir conducted the technical sessions with Regional Manager Rabiul Haque in the chair.
