97pc households use latrines

Bangladesh has achieved a remarkable success in sanitation coverage as 97 per cent households now use latrines while the figure was only 33 per cent in 2003, reports BSS.

Quoting a joint survey of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Senior Secretary of Local Government division (LGD) Monzur Hossain said the number of families using improved sanitation is 57 per cent while 28 per cent households use shared latrines and 12 per cent use unimproved latrines in the country.

He revealed the information at a press conference in the auditorium of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) on the occasion of Sanitation Month-2014 and the World Hand-washing Day-2014.

Chief Engineer of DPHE Khaleda Ahsan and senior officials of the ministry and representatives of different international organisations, among others, were present at the press conference.

Mr Monzur said the number of people making open defecation significantly reduced in the past couple of years due to different initiatives taken by the present government, saying now only three per cent people defecate in open place in the country.

Meanwhile, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Tuesday expressed the hope that the observance of 'National Sanitation Month-2014' and 'Global Hand washing Day-2014' will help create awareness and improve sanitation system in the country.