'Ensure sanitation for the poor'

Active participation of the marginal people in such activities and sustained rehabilitation of slum dwellers are a must to achieve the target, they said.

The NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation and the Dustha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) organised the conference on 'water and sanitation' at auditorium of Institute of Engineers in the city. Grassroots representatives from six divisions took part in the conference.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan attended the conference as chief guest while A.Y.B.I. Siddiqui, former secretary of LGRD ministry, Paul Van Koppen, director, International Water and Sanitation Center (IRC), the Netherlands and Carle D Groot, chairperson, Local Consultants Group (LCG) attended as special guests.

Speaking as chief guest, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan hoped that the country would be brought under sanitation coverage by 2008 and the rest two years would be spent to maintain its sustainability.

According to government statistics, 67 percent people are still deprived of sanitation facilities.

The minister said a directive has been given to the authorities at upazila level to spend 20 percent of the allocation provided by the LGRD ministry on sanitation.

The ministry is also taking up a project to aid the extremely poor in this regard, he added.

Dr Dibalok Singha, executive director of DSK, said they organised 200 meetings at union parishad level and six meetings at six divisions to gather opinion from the grassroots people about the sanitation issue and know about their problems.

Suchitra Mallik read out the declaration paper that called for a social movement for sanitation and rehabilitation of slum dwellers.