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SANITATION DRIVE TAKES A PROMISING TURN

Andrea L. Beckwith
THE successes which haw been achieved In Bangladesh In the area of Immunisation and water supply have yet to be realised In the area of latrine sanitation The use of sanitary latrines, as opposed to the traditional "hanging" latrines (over ponds or rivers), has been slow to take hold In this country. Widespread installation and usage of the former, however, is critical. More sanitary disposal of human excreta would significantly reduce the health risks associated with faecal contamination: Polio, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery and diarrhoeal diseases.
Efforts by the government's Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and UNICEF, with the support of the Swiss Development Cooperation, DANIDA and other donors, to Improve sanitation In Bangladesh have only just started to gain momentum. Recent progress can be attributed In large measure to the role which the Ansar and the Village Defense Party (VDP) are now assuming in the promotion of sanitary latrine coverage.
The Ansar and the VDP, In collaboration with UNICEF, have made a commitment to work at the village level to ensure greater provision of sanitary latrines throughout the country. At UNICEF's behest, the DPHE and the Ansar/VDP leadership agreed to the involvement of the 4,500,000 Ansar/VDP members In the promotion, installation and monitoring of sanitary latrine facilities. The success of this collaborative effort and the potential of this approach to alleviate the country's sanitation problems, can be seen in Ansar/VDP'project villages.
During this writer’s recent visit to Karol Shurichala tn Mouchak Union of Kallakofr Upazila, the 64 resident Ansar and VDP members (comprising an equal number of males and females) had gathered with other civilian members of the village to display their achievements In the promotion and installation of sanitary latrines. The visit was occasioned by the arrival in Bangladesh of UNICEF's Regional Director. Mr. Karl-Eric Knutsson. Mr. Knutsson, accompanied by UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, Mr. Cole P. Dodge, was welcomed to the village by the Director General of the Ansar/VDP. Major General Mahbubur Rahman.
Addressing the gathering. Mr. Dodge candidly expressed his disappointment with the national effort prior to 1990 In sanitary latrine promotion. The whole sanitation programme." he admitted, “has been a failure — a failure of the Government and a failure of UNICEF." Mr. Dodge recounted statistics highlighting Bangla desh s pressing sanitation problems, thereby setting the context within which the urgency of the Ansar/VDPs current efforts can best be understood.
Between 1962 and 1990, sanitation coverage in Bangladesh only Increased from 3 per cent to 6 per cent. (Contrast this with increases in coverage under the Immunisation programme of just over 65 per cent between 1986 and 1990.) Everyday, an estimated 28,000 metric tons of faecal matter are deposited in the public domain of this country, contaminating water sources and food. Of the roughly 900 thousand Bangladeshi children who die each year, 300 thousand lose their life to diarrhoeal disease.
Referring to the Ansar and the VDP as the "vanguard", Mr. Dodge called upon them to ensure the installation of hygienic latrines in each village. "Sanitation is the most important programme that you have ever been Involved in." said Mr. Dodge. "It holds the most promise for your children." The immediate objective is for Ansar/VDP personnel, as respected members of society, to set an example for fellow villagers by constructing latrines tn their homes and then promoting sanitary latrine installation and usage In the houses of the other villagers. For those who cannot afford latrines of concrete slabs and rings (considered by villagers to be more prestigious), simple pit latrines are being promoted. Ultimately, the goal is to have one sanitary latrine per family.
As Mr. Knutsson suggested, the Ansar and VDP shall be instrumental in motivating, mobilising, and training others. In Major General Rahman's own words: "We (Ansar/VDP) are a socio-economic development foree." In a speech following the lunch hosted by the Ansar Academy, the Major General reassured Mr. Knutsson "that with (UNICEF’s) support we will make this programme a success. If (you) can supply 4.5 million latrines tomorrow, they will all be absorbed by Ansar/VDP members and stored in the houses."
Presently, the demand for squat plates and rings used in the construction of latrines far exceeds the DPHE’s supply of these materials. While the DPHE may currently be operating at full capacity, the private sector has moved In to meet the growing demand for sanitary latrines. To maintain profitability, however, private entrepreneurs are pressing for a subsidy arrangement similar to that which the DPHE enjoys.
The private sector, as Major General Rahman agrbed, should be encouraged in its attempt to fill the existing gap. The scope for private sector involvement in promoting sanitation Improvements is stgnifleant and is currently being studied by the Swiss Development Cooperation. Hopefully, this will be an area which NGOs and International donors will not overlook.
The task of creating a healthier Bangladesh through improved sanitation will not be easy. not least because the efforts by both the public and private sectors to Improve sanitation through the installation of latrines will be made within the context of a growing population. The steps taken in the village of Karol Shurichala were truly encouraging, and the current strategy to involve the Ansar and VDP in ths promotion of sanitation looks very promising.
Andrea L Beckwith, a freelance Journalist. is a contributor to The Daily Star.