SACOSAN-IV to focus on sanitation, hygiene
Nimal WIJESINGHE, Anuradhapura Additional District
Group Corr
The national workshop on the Fourth South Asia Conference on
Sanitation (SACOSAN-IV) is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in April.
The North Central Provincial workshop was recently held at
Anuradhapura as a precursor to the SACOSAN-IV.
SACOSAN-IV coordinator Ananda Jayaweera told the Daily News that the
main objectives of the SAARC workshop would be the usage of proper
sanitation systems, the disposal of human waste and personal hygiene.
SAARC member countries Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, the Maldive Islands, Afghanistan will participate at the
summit at Ministerial and top executive level.
Jayaweera emphasised that the provincial workshops were being
organized to collect important data concerning provincial sanitation and
drinking water facilities and for reviewing the present progress being
achieved in the sphere divisionally and provincially. Water Supply and
Drainage (North Western) Board Deputy General Manager D U Sumanasekera
said that in comparison the provision of toilet facilities in our
country has risen from 80 percent to 90 percent between 1987 and 2009.
Rs 5,000 million will be spent to provide nearly 200,000 toilets to the
poor families at provincial level.
Anuradhapura Health Services Director Dr Palitha Bandara stressed
that the SACOSAN-IV provide systematic and adequate sanitary and water
facilities to the NCP.
"It has been observed that 38 percent and 59 percent of families in
the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts respectively lack proper
toilet facilities. |