To Ensure Pure Drinking Water
Earth-Filter Launched for Arsenic-hit People

Earth Foundation, a non-government organization introduced its Earth-Filter to ensure pure drinking water for millions of arsenic affected people in the country.
The Foundation has developed a special filter, which is termed as “Earth-Filter”. It is made of using its own technology.
At first 500ppb 2000ppb and 2500ppb arsenic (III) standard solution, arsenic contaminated tubewelll water and filtered water were analyzed by using NIPSOM kit. BCSIR, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and ETC laboratory were used for atomic absorption spectrophotomenty.
Dulaly Chowdhury, the innovator of the Earth-Filter said that laboratory test results showed the level of arsenic in the purified water is much lower than WHO guideline. There is no change in test and odor in the purified water through Earth-Filter.
“There are about 15 liter water capacity reserved tank on the top, an arsenic purification cartridge in the middle and arsenic safe water tank in the bottom of the filter.” She added a 0.2 micron filtering net is in the bottom where safe water could be collected.
She also said that water purification rate of the Earth-Filter is speeder than any other arsenic filters in Bangladesh. The filtering capacity is 35 liters per hour. She said that the price of the filter is Tk. 1975. It will be available at cash or installments.

The Banladesh Observer, 11 September 2007

Child Mortality Hits Record Low : UNICEF

Deaths of children under age five around the world dropped below 10 million for the first time last year, according to United Nations Chidren's Fund figures released on 13 Septermber 2007.
UNICEF said deaths in that category hit a record low of 9.7 million from almost 13

million in 1990, and hailed what it called “solid progress on child survival.”
There were rapid declines in annual under-five deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics, East Asia and the Pacific as well as many parts of Africa, it said.
‘This is a historic moment,” said UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman. “More children are surviving today than ever before. Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).” The poverty-reduction MDGs include a commitment to reduce by two-thirds the under-five mortality rate between 1990 and 2015.
UNICEF attributed the gains to the widespread adoption of basic health measures, including early and exclusive breast feeding, measles immunization, Vitamin A supplements and use of insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.
But Veneman warned against complacency. “The loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable. Most of these deaths are preventable and, as recent progress shows, the solutions are tried and tested,” she said.
Of the 9.7 million children who died in 2006, 3.1 million hail from South Asia and 4.8 million from sub-Saharan Africa.

The Independent, 14 September 2007

The publication Shudhu Latrine Noy, Sanitation is an advocacy initiative of NGO Forum to sensitize people who are actively involved achieving Sanitation for All by 2010. This booklet invokes all concerned to achieve 100% sanitation, not merely latrinization.

Serving the Unserved-consolidation of WatSan Success (Vol 1-III) in CHT highlights the success, implementation process and achievements of NGO Forum's community-managed water and sanitation programme that has been being implemented in some hard-to-reach and unserved communities in CHT areas.

Moolchitra is an outcome of the survey findings on assessing the situation of the 350 unserved and under served unions in 104 upazilas of 45 districts under NGO Forum's NGO & Civil Society Networking Projects which reflect the picture of the unserved and underserved areas of the country. The survey enquires into the status of knowledge, access and practices among the community people in respect to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

July 2007

August 2007