The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Proper planning, integrated programmes and invention of new technologies are needed to face the Arsenic contamination problem in Bangladesh.

Speakers said this at the launching ceremony of Integrated Community Based Arsenic Mitigation Programme of NGO Forum of drinking water supply and sanitation aided by European Union and Misereor in the city yesterday.

They urged the government, NGOs, doctors, media and other organisations to work together to fight the devastating Arsenic contamination of the country.

The Tk nine crore ICBAM Programme will be run in 100 unions of 20 districts covering about 2.2 million people.

The main objective of the project is to improve access to safe drinking water, ensure proper health care facilities, warn people about the danger of arsenic poisoning and provide training to the people of the area on income generating activities.

A survey report of Mahabubur Rahman Chowdhury, Chief, Monitoring and Evaluation, NGO Forum for DWSS says only 12.2 per cent of the people of the 100 unions get regular medical services and 58.5 per cent are deprived.

Twenty-nine per cent people get irregular medical support. The report says 70.6 per cent of the medical support provided to the people is by the government hospitals and the NGO clinics and healthcare centres provide only 29.4 per cent medical service.

Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Dr Md Shahjahan Biswas was chief guest at the inaugural ceremony presided over by Prof Dr M Firoz Ahmed. European Commission delegate Koyen Dechatu and Head of Pharmacology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Prof Dr Mesbah Uddin was special guest.

Dr Shahjahan Biswas said the crisis of drinking water was increasing day by day and arsenic contamination has complicated the programme of distributing pure drinking water to the people.