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2 union parishads at Tangail achieve lOOpc sanitation

Najmul Alam Nobin, back from Tangail
Two union parishads -- Daptiar and Dhuburia - at Nagarpur upazila in Tangail have set an example by achieving hundred percent sanitation in their respective areas.
Families of the unions, who used open space as latrines, are now using hygienic toilets and have become health conscious as they know they should drink safe water and wash their hands after coming from toilets.
As part of the government programme to bring the entire population of the country under hundred percent sanitation coverage by 2010, the two unions have done the commendable job. Local people participated enthusiastically to implement a sanitation project.
The project titled 'Community Lead Hygiene Sanitation Project' was financially supported by 'Wateraid' and another NGO 'Unnayan Shahojogi learn (UST)' has assisted the union parishads by giving technical support and monitored the project.
Daptiar union declared the hundred percent sanitation in the area on March 25 and Dhuburia union declared in April 30.
As the most backward places in the country, Daptiar and Dhuburia arc frequently affected by floods. People in the monsoon have to communicate one place to another only by boats ;md in the dry season they use canals as roads. The two
unions have now become role models forotherunions.
While visiting Daptiar and Dhuburia unions, it was found that most of the people of the areas are not financially solvent. Total population of the two unions is 45,372 and total number of families is 8,906. Of them. 3,064 families belong to Dhuburia union of which 1,230 families are hardcore poor families and 848 are poor ones.
Of the 5,842 families in Daptiar union, a total of 1,836 are hardcore poor families and 1,950 are poor ones, 1,096 families are middleclass and the rest can be classified as higher middle-class families.
But the entire families are using the newly installed hygienic latrines and fetching water from tubewells set up by the union parishad. Talking to the families it was learned that diseases in the area have decreased in numbers.
Mehendi Begum, a housewife from Tati Nishchintopur village of the union told The Daily Star that " Wc used open places as latrines but we did not know that the same urines and stools were coming to our meals in other forms. Now we use hygienic latrines and the rate of being affected by diseases has come down.”
Dapitar UP Chairman M Firoz Siddiquc, who led the project at his union, said the treatment facilities in the union is very poor and he just wanted to make sure the people of the area use hygienic latrines, safe water and become a bit health conscious.
“With the help ofUST, we divided the entire union into 66 clusters and each of the clusters helped us completing the work by informing where safe drinking water and hygienic latrines were needed,” Firoz said.
He said, "Firstly it was an uphill task to make people aware that they need hygienic latrines, but once we succeeded the people of all walks of life in the area participated in the project"
"We have motivated the rich and financially capable families to install hygienic latrines by their own expenses and supported the hardcore poor to install those. Hardcore poor had to pay only five to 10 percent of the total cost of installation." said the UP chairman.
The hundred percent latrinisation has been completed in the two unions. Now they want to make sure access to safe water for all. Ihe union parishads would set up a tubewell for every’ five families in achieving the goal.
The UST in its research found that only 16 percent families at Daptiar and 21 percent families of Dhuburia were using hygienic toilets when the project was started.
UST Executive Director Shah Mohammad Abul Kamal said, "The main feature of the project was to ensure the participation of people in solving their problems which eventually ensured hundred percent latrinisation in the area.”
"The project will continue and we are now looking forward to ensure access to safe water for all in this area." he added.