Law to ensure safe water stressed
Experts at a roundtable yesterday stressed the need for formulating safe drinking water and sanitation law and mitigating arsenic problem to ensure safe water and its adequacy in the country.
They also emphasised saving the rivers across the country especially around the capital to ensure safe drinking water.
Arsenic contamination has been creating a huge problem to get safe drinking water for rural people, the speakers told the roundtable on "Pure drinking water for all," organised by Prothom Alo at its office.
"Though there is the national policy for arsenic mitigation, the government does not have proper attention to implement it," said M Firoz Ahmed, vice president of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa).
The donors did not give money for any projects to mitigate arsenic problem following formulation of the arsenic policy, he said.
It is very important to go for providing alternative source of water to save the people from arsenic contamination but only one per cent of the affected people have got such alternative facilities, Firoz said.
Khairul Islam, country representative of Water Aid Bangladesh, said funding to mitigate arsenic problem has not been given priorities to the vulnerable areas.
Stressing the need for a coordinated effort to solve arsenic problem, Prof Mujibur Rahman of Buet said there is huge discrimination among the people of the country in getting water which is needed to be reduced.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanok said the government depends on ground water to supply drinking water in the capital but it is not a permanent solution rather it is putting the Dhaka city at risk.
He said the government is going for using surface water instead of ground water following a direction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The minister put emphasis on creating awareness to reduce wastage of water.
Nani Gopal Mandal, lawmaker of Dakop, Khulna demanded digging up ponds to make water reservoirs to ensure drinking water for the people of southwestern region.
MA Matin, director general of RDA, Bogra, said it is necessary to make the rivers around the Dhaka city free from pollution to ensure drinking water.
Dibalok Singh of Dustha Shashtha Kendra demanded adequate drinking water for slum dwellers at a cheaper rate.
Abdul Qayyum, joint editor of Prothom Alo, moderated the programme.
Zuena Aziz, additional secretary of the local government division, also spoke at the roundtable.
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