World Water Day 2009

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water by adopting a resolution.This world day for water was to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development contained in chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.

Bangladesh celebrating the World Water Day 2009 on the 22nd March. Topics presentation followed by discussion will be held in the auditorium of the Department of Public Health Engineering, Kakrail, Dhaka at 9.00 am. Honourable Minister for LGRD & Coperatives will open the day.

Training Course on GIS in DPHE.

5-days long training course on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the 12 Assistant/ Sub-Assistant Engineers of Department of Public Health Engineering was held from 17th December to 22nd December' 2008 under the IDB Assisted Water Supply facilities in the coastal belt project in DPHE Training Centre, Dhaka.

Mr. Md. Shahbaz Hossain, Project Director, ADB Assisted Seconary Towns Water Supply Project inaugurated the course. In the opening session among others present are Md. Sirijul Islam, PD, IDB Assisted Project W/S Project, Mr. Tushir Mohan Shadu Kha, Executive Engineer, Training Division & Course Co-ordinator. GIS Consultant from Farhat Consulting Engineers Mr. Moniruzzaman conducted the course in all the days.

Mr. Md. Shakawat Hossain, Additional Chief Engineer (Works) giving away the certificate among the participants in the concluding day.

Mr. Md. Shahabaz Hossain, PD, ADB Assisted Project, DPHE delivered the inaugral speech of the training course.

Mr. Md. Shakawat Hossain, Additional Chief Engineer (Works), DPHE distributed the certificate among the participants. Mr. Md. Sirijul Islam, PD, IDB Project seen in the picture.

Water quality testing in a newly installed tubewell.

Monwar Ali

Newly Installed Tubewell in SADR affected Bagerhat District, Bangladesh

Gas is coming out from a newly installed Deep Tubewell in Lalmohan Upazila under Bhola Dist, Bangladesh

Deep Tubewell in Lalmohan Upazila under Bhola Dist. DPHE

WORLD TOILET DAY ON 19th NOVEMBER-SANITATION FOR ALL

World Toilet Day on 19th November reminds us that over 2.6 billion people lack any form of 'improved' sanitation; one-sixth of the world's population get their water from sources contaminated by human and animal faeces; half of all people in developing countries have an illness related to sanitation and water quality; and every six seconds, a child dies of diarrhoea.

Sanitation has enormous economic, social and ecological implications, trapping developing countries in a vicious circle of poverty. Safe drinking water and sanitation are crucial in the fight to end world poverty. CIWEM finds it unacceptable that the Millennium Development Goal to halve the amount of people without access to basic sanitation is arguably the goal farthest from being reached.
CIWEM Director of International Development, Paul Horton, says: “I think that in the International Year of Sanitation it is imperative that the sanitation target set under MDG Seven is reviewed and an honest assessment made of the progress, or lack, towards achieving the aim of reducing by half the number of people without access to sanitation. The definition of basic sanitation in the target should be enhanced to incorporate the standards used by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) and, linked to the JMP, there should be an audit process to ensure that data collected is of robust quality. At a time when the world is facing ever more volatile weather systems due to climate change, access to proper sanitation is a fundamental human right, one that is in danger of never being met unless the MDG target is reviewed and a realistic plan of action is developed.”

Source: European Water News

THIRD SACOSAN- Field Visits to Kurukshtra on 17th November 2008

Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Chief Engineer, Department of Public Health Engineering, Govt. of Bangladesh seen along with the participants in to have an overview of the rural sanitation projects in Kurukshtra, Haryana, India on 17th November' 2008.

LOGO-International Year of SANITAION 2008

Third SACOSAN (South Asian Conference on Sanitation) Starts in New Delhi

Indian Prime Minister’s speech at the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation

November 18, 2008New Delhi

“I am delighted to be here today at the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation. This Conference has a very special significance because the year 2008 has been declared as the International Year of Sanitation.

Sanitation has a strong connection not only with personal hygiene but also with human dignity and well-being, public health, nutrition and even education. Mahatma Gandhi had once said “Sanitation is more important than independence”. He made cleanliness and sanitation an integral part of the Gandhian way of living. His dream was total sanitation for all.
The past record in providing sanitation facilities particularly in our region of South Asia has not been very encouraging. A fact sheet on the International Year of Sanitation states that nearly 2.6 billion people including a billion children lack access to effective sanitary facilities resulting in avoidable infant mortality. In our region, nearly a billion people are without effective sanitation services. This is a major challenge and will require an all out effort by each of our seven countries.

I am happy that things are changing and changing for the better. In recent years, all the countries in South Asia are working on making sanitation a priority development investment. It is our solemn obligation duty to ensure that every citizen South Asia has access to a functioning toilet.

In India we have worked hard to correct the neglect of the past in this vital area. In the past five years, the government has increased investment in rural sanitation by as much as six times and I compliment my colleague Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh for having brought a dedicated spirit to give guidance to this vital programme.

The big change in the Indian effort on rural sanitation came when we began to use the energy of our local bodies for sanitation. An incentive-based “Nirmal Gram Puraskar” or Clean Village Award was crafted into our campaign for total sanitation. This has led to community leadership taking up the campaign to bring about total sanitation in our villages as their priority concern. Panchayats are competing with each other to win the Nirmal Gram Puraskar. This mobilization of the resources of the civil society is a very shining example of the initiatives that our Ministry of Rural Development has taken in recent years.

I wish to place a few general issues for your consideration.

First, sanitation issues need to be given priority in our development policy approaches. Its cross cutting implications need deep study and greater understanding. The role of community leadership in changing old habits and ways of thinking will be crucial as our own experience has shown. The capacities of our rural and urban local bodies to address these issue from both social and economic angles will need to be enhanced.

Second, sanitation has to be located in an integrated framework of public health policy to ensure that sanitation activities are indeed adequately funded. We know for example that something as simple as washing hands properly can check 50% of the diarrhoea cases in our country. Provision of safe drinking water can also greatly help to contain the incidence of many water borne diseases. Similarly, provision of toilets near the habitat can protect our women against many stomach related diseases. Therefore, conscious efforts have to be made to invest in hygiene consciousness and sanitation as part of a holistic public health policy.

Third is the area of technology. We need to develop sanitation technologies for diverse eco-systems. Advances in science and technology make it possible as never before in human history that chronic poverty and ill health do not have to be the inevitable lot of a majority of human race. The new technologies have to be affordable and sustainable. This is a technology challenge we must work on, using both modern science and traditional wisdom and knowledge. We know that advanced technologies exist for toilets used in pir space programmes. We also know that traditional water systems were engineered in our villages to optimize scarce resources including the use of water. We should, therefore, use scientific ingenuity to take us to the next generation of sanitation technologies.

Fourth, we need to address the issue of sustainability. I am told that 20% of the toilets built in our country are not functional because of a variety of factors, from poor construction to the lack of adequate maintenance. We need, therefore, to build local capacity in construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities.

We have been, for some time, advocating a “barefoot engineers” programme where rural youth are trained in multiple engineering skills to repair agricultural pumpsets, handpumps, rural household power connections, agricultural implements and sanitation facilities. In our country we have conceived of a major national initiative for skill development. I hope that we will be able to integrate training of barefoot engineers into this national plan.

We will be very happy to share our experience with other countries of South Asia and also to learn and gain from their experience in tackling problems of rural sanitation.

We should look upon human waste as a resource to be recycled and reused so that it does not contaminate our land or water. This is a particular challenge in our fast urbanising habitats. The more we urbanize and industrialize, this challenge will gain in importance and sooner we get prepared to tackle it, the better it is for all.

I am happy that one of the themes of your conference is “Sanitation beyond toilets”. We should explore new models of solid and liquid waste management through innovative and even income generating schemes.

I am very happy that the governments of South Asia are cooperating on the issues that really matter to our teeming millions. The Conference should set out a regional agenda for action on the theme of your Conference “Sanitation for Dignity and Health”. Let us work together to realize Gandhi’s clarion call for total sanitation and assure a life of dignity and good health to all citizens of South Asia. Good sanitation should be a birthright of every citizen of South Asia. Through these words, I once again extend a very warm welcome to all the Ministers and Delegates from other countries of South Asia. I wish your deliberations all success.”