National Sanitation Month observed in Gaibandha

The National Sanitation Month and Global Handwashing Day-2021 was observed in Gaibandha on Sunday with a call to stop the defecation in open space and improve sanitation and hygiene systems across the country.

This year’s theme of the day is ‘Future is at Hand-let’s Move Forward Together.’

Marking the day, the district administration and department of public health and engineering (DPHE) chalked out elaborate programmes in cooperation with a number of non-government organizations including SKS Foundation, Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), BDRCS, Gaindha unit, Swiss Red Cross, RDRS Bangladesh, Friendship, BRAC and ICCO Cooperation of Netherlands.

A discussion meeting was held at the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner marking the importance of the month with executive engineer of DPHE here Md. Rezwan Hossain in the chair while DC Abdul Matin addressed the meeting as the chief guest.

The meeting was also addressed among others by Sadar upazila parishad chairman Shah Sarwar Kabir, coordinator of SKS Foundation Ashraf Alam and journalist KM Rezaul Haque.

The speakers underscored the need for creating much awareness among the people particularly chars and river basin dwellers of the district about the use of sanitary latrines, safe drinking water and following hygienic rules for a better and disease-free society.

Washing hands especially after going to the latrine and before eating and good hygiene practice could reduce the risk of water-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, hookworm, and ringworm among the people to a great extent, they said. DC Abdul Matin said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken and implemented multifarious activities for the development of public health along with ensuring sanitation facilities.