Tk970m Japanese aid to install desalination equipment in 2 dists

Japan has provided JPY1.5 billion (approximately Tk970 million) as a grant to install mobile desalination equipment. Through this Japanese Grant Aid, 30 mobile desalination equipment will be set up in coastal area of Khulna and Barisal divisions for supplying safe drinking water to the people affected by disasters. Masato Watanabe, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, and Moffazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Disaster Management and Relief Minister, attended the handing-over ceremony of the mobile desalination equipment which was held in Dhaka. In many coastal areas, the groundwater as well as surface water sources are gradually becoming undrinkable due to salinity intrusion. Particularly when cyclones hit the areas, the problem salinity becomes serious because most of the inland areas become inundated by sea water.
With the installation of the desalination equipments, about 1,60,000 people will be able to get 3 liters of safe water each per day. It is expected to prevent the secondary damage such as dehydration and infectious disease. Japan is a disaster-prone country like Bangladesh and a normal disaster may harm the development efforts in a country and can jeopardise economic growth of a disaster-prone country. Therefore, Japan believes that the disaster management is one of the most important obligations for the government of each country, it said. The government of Japan has been supporting the improvement of disaster management capacity of the government of Bangladesh for 30 years, according to a news agency.
- biplab