Bangladesh promises priority for sanitation services to hardcore poor
The fifth South Asian Conference on Sanitation begins here on Tuesday with an aim to promote sanitation and hygiene practices in the region and thereby ‘achieve poverty eradication and acceptable standards of public health.’ In Bangladesh, almost half of the population still remain outside the improved sanitation, according to the country paper to be presented at the three-day conference on October 22-24.
‘Hardcore poor in both urban and rural areas will receive priority for sanitation services,’ says Bangladesh Country Paper prepared by the local government division.
The ‘public opening’ of the conference was organised in the historical city of Bhaktapur, also a world heritage site, on Monday. President of Republic of Nepal Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the conference on the day, declaring Bhaktapur an open defecation-free district, around 30 km off the capital.
An official concerned at the local government division confirmed that neither the minister nor the state minister from Bangladesh would attend the ministerial conference, a biennial convention held on a rotation basis in each SAARC country.
This year’s SACOSAN theme is ‘Sanitation for All : All for Sanitation’. The first SACOSAN was held in Bangladesh in 2003.
Local government secretary Abu Alam Md Shahid Khan would be leading a 68-member delegation that includes government officials and representatives from non-government organisations.
The Ministry of Urban Development of the Nepal Government is hosting the SACOSAN V. Over 400 delegates from eight nations from South Asia –Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – are participating.
Besides government officials and civil society organisation representatives, people from the grassroots level will also share their lifestyle in the conference sessions, which would help policy makers set development agenda for the future, Water Aid Bangladesh country director Khairul Islam told New Age on Monday.
‘Coastal belts and urban slums are the major areas for us to ensure 100 per cent sanitation coverage,’ Khairul said, adding that a survey shows that 56 per cent of the population had access to improved latrines while 25 per cent were sharing improved latrines in Bangladesh.
As a common platform for participating nations to discuss problems and explore solutions to achieve complete sanitation status, this conference is expected to accelerate the momentum of sanitation in this region, said officials and experts attending the regional event.
The three-day conference is expected to assess progress in implementation of the commitment made in the last SACOSAN held in Colombo in 2011.
Bangladesh will have to ensure 100 per cent access to improved sanitation for achieving the millennium development goals by 2015.
-With New Age input
