About sanitation
The Bangladesh government has taken up an epoch making programme to ensure the establishment of sanitary latrines by the year 2010. But no measure has been taken to reform and keep clean the existing latrines set up in the schools, colleges, madrashas, mosques , haat-bazars and crowded places of the locality .As a result, people have no idea about sanitary latrines and they do not know how to use the sanitary latrines. On the other hand, people have been falling ill owing to different kinds of infectious diseases through using these dirty and unclean latrines. I have been trying my best to draw the attention of the authorities to the problem through the different newspapers. The local government administration was informed about the matter concerned on 23 October 2004, and I was informed through a letter (memo no. pro. 2/2-17/2004/1108 dated 27 November 2004) that according to the haat-bazar rules 3[ka][4] the toll collection system is imposed by the related lease holders and they will make necessary arrangements to clean the said latrines. Inquiries with different haat-bazars on the spot has revealed that the above policies are not followed anywhere in the district of Ishurdi.
A meeting on the issue of reformation and supervision of the existing latrines was held at the Pabna press club on 13 May, 2005. At this meeting, Mr. Punjab Ali Biswas [formerly MP], the executive director of PPL, was made chairman and an ad hoc committee was formed with representation from 15 NGOs. Besides, a decision was taken to launch a social movement to reform and keep clean the existing latrines.
Once again I informed the local government administration [under the local government. ministry] about the matter concerned on 2 June 2005 and the local administration requested the DC Pabna to take necessary steps through an order (memo no. Ad 2/2-17/02/785 dated 25 June 2005). The DC Pabna has informed all the UNOs [upazilla nirbahi officers] and similarly they have informed all the UP chairman of the matter.
It is a matter of regret that the aforesaid issue has been confined to correspondence only. No effective measure has been taken to keep the latrines in the district neat and clean. We have come to know from different sources that the condition of latrines elsewhere in the country are similar. Here it may be also noted that it is not possible to keep the latrines clean on the proceeds of the toll collection from the haat-bazars.
I request the relevant departments, donor groups and NGOs working in sanitation to come forward with their ideas and assistance in this respect.
Musharraf Hossain Musha
Ishurdi, Pabna
MAIN PAGE | TOP
|
|
