Public health experts unanimously observed that many water and airborne diseases could be prevented through making the people conscious about hand washing.
They also viewed that concerted efforts of all government and non- government organisations concerned are indispensable for attaining success in this regard amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, it is high time to transform the sanitation campaign into a social movement for building a healthy society through limiting the Covid-19 infection.
They came up with the observation while addressing a meeting at CDC Training Room in City Bhabanof Rajshahi on Wednesday. WaterAid Bangladesh and Village Education Resource Centre (VERC) jointly organized the discussion in observance of World Hand Washing Day 2021.
Superintending Engineer of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Nur Islam Tusser addressed the meeting as chief guest with its Chief Community Development Officer Azizur Rahman in the chair.
Wateraid Zonal Coordinator Rezaul Huda, RCC Environment Officer Syed Mahmud Hossain and VERC Project Manager Muhammad Kamruzzaman also spoke.
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Nur Islam Tusser said the hygiene and sanitation campaign should be successful for the sake of keeping the environment free from pollution side by side with saving people from being infected with numerous air and water-borne diseases including the Coronavirus.
He said the school boys and girls are most vulnerable to worm infection. They must be aware about health hygiene and using sanitary latrine together with proper hand washing.
The field level government officials, development activists and public representatives should take the responsibilities of engaging community and religious leaders at the grassroots in the campaign so that it could be turned into a social movement.
Rezaul Huda told the meeting that WaterAid Bangladesh has started implementing a three-year project titled "Composite Actions for Climate Migrants in Urban Slums (CACMUS)" in the city.
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Around 10,000 climate migrants will get clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene support in ten slum areas with intervention of the project.
To this end, 51 resilient and context-specific facilities will be installed and renovated besides installation and renovation of 28 community toilets.
Apart from this, 104 community people will be imparted caretaker training for operation and maintenance of the hardware options.
He said the project is intended to establish replicable community-managed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, facilitate better economic opportunities for the beneficiaries, and link climate migrants with microfinance services and pro-poor WASH services provided by the city authorities.
