Bangladesh obtains 2nd position in sanitation coverage in South Asia: UNICEF/WHO
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)
DHAKA, Oct 3, 2012 (BSS) - With 81 percent people currently using healthy latrines, Bangladesh is now in second position in sanitation coverage in South Asia as an intensified campaign is underway to reach a national goal of cent percent coverage by next year.
"Ninety six percent people are now used to use latrines, 81 percent of which having the required sanitation standard . . . in terms of coverage we are in second position after Sri Lanka", which achieved 96 percent coverage, a local government ministry spokesman told BSS as the country is set to launch the Sanitation Month from tomorrow.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF statistics, compared to Bangladesh's 81 percent sanitation coverage, India's achievement is 43 percent coverage; Pakistan covered 54 percent of its population and Nepal 45 percent.
The local government ministry official said only four percent Bangladeshis now defecate in open places while
the figure was 42 percent in 2003, when the current sanitation campaign was launched.
"The campaign has significantly reduced the mortality rate of children under 5, which now only 53 among 1,000 children while the figure was 88 in 2003," he said.
The theme of the day is "the expenditure in sanitation improves standard of life" and as part of the sanitation campaign October 15 will be observed as the World Hand Wash Day.
But officials and experts said of the 81 percent sanitary latrines, 56 percent are used by single families while the rest 25 percent are shared ones while the sanitation coverage in the capital appeared highest with 90 percent.
Bangladesh set the target of ensuring cent percent sanitation coverage by 2013 against the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) deadline of 2015.
Meanwhile, an official handout said local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam would open the Sanitation Month campaign at the Osmany Memorial Hall while the a massive motivation campaign was planned engaging traditional singers and staging public meetings, street rallies and colourful street marches and sanitation fares across the country.