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International Year of
Sanitation 2008
NGO
Forum's Countrywide WatSan Fair Organized
To
highlight the little progress made to-date
towards the sanitation target under the
Millennium Development Goals and to advocate
for the multiple benefits that stem from
better sanitation and hygiene the UN has
announced 2008 as the International Year
of Sanitation (IYS) 2008. With a view to
upholding the significance of the International
Year of Sanitation (IYS) 2008 NGO Forum
for Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation
organized 3 day long WatSan Fair countrywide
under each of its 14 Regions and CHT Unit,
during January-February 2008. The name of
the Regions are Barisal, Bogra, Rangpur,
Tangail, Dhaka, Comilla, Chittagong, Khulna,
Faridpur, Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet,
Rajshahi, Jessore and Khagrachari. The objectives
of the WatSan Fair was to inform all about
the significance of IYS 2008 and sensitize
the people to participate in different IYS
initiatives actively throughout the year.
Viewers
at the WatSan Fair, Satkhir.
The
theme of the Fair was Total Sanitation for
Sound Health and Better Environment.
Different representatives from government
and non-government organizations including
District Commissioner, Upazila Nirbahi Officer,
Upazila UP Chairman, Journalists were present
at the WatSan Fairs.
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The guests at the inaugural & closing
sessions of the Fair appreciated NGO Forum
and its partner organizations for organizing
such WatSan Fairs and termed those as innovative
and effective approach to create mass awareness.
People irrespective of age including school
children visited the WatSan Fairs with enthusiasm.
The Fairs included different cultural programmes,
drama, film show which impressed visitors
at the Fairs.
Integrate Climate Issues into Activities
of all Ministries
Dr.
Atiq A Rahman, a noted environmenta-list
and the recipient of UNEP Champion of the
Earth 2008 award urged the government to
integrate climate change issues into activities
of all ministries, rather than leaving the
task to a single ministry or department.
The government immediately should take a
long-term multidimensional plan to face
the impending challenges of the climate
change and set up a proficient institutional
body to deal with the matter.
Dr. Atiq, also the Executive Director of
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies and
Chairman of Climate Action Network-South
Asia (CANSA), was addressing the 12th biennial
conference of Forum of Environment Journalists
of Bangladesh (FEJB) titled ‘Climate Change,
Water and Environment’.
Climate
change issues should be incorporated into
the daily activities of all ministries and
departments as well as into all the big
challenges for Bangladesh on the way to
the eradication of poverty.
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Time is already over to understand the matrix
of climate change and its adverse affects
on our nature, ecology and economy.
Over the years public awareness about the
environment has increased.
But, the policy makers has so far come up
with very short-term plan to address the
climate change issues keeping the matter
mainly in the domain between science and
policy only. Now time has come to give the
programme ‘science-policy people’ interface.
The Daily Star,
31 January 2008
Arsenic Mitigation through Cultivation of
Fern, Flower Plants Suggested
It
is possible to mitigate arsenic from soil
by cultivating fern and different types
of flower plants in the arsenic-affected
areas and such a practice will also help
contain the arsenic contamination of crop
produced on the same soil.
This was revealed in the report of a research
conducted by Prof Dr. SM Enamul Haq, Chairman
of the Department of Soil, Water and Environment,
Dhaka University.
An eminent arsenic and soil pollution expert,
Dr. Haq told BSS that plants belonging to
the fern category can absorb more than 95
percent of the total arsenic on the soil.
This easy-growing plants can be cultivated
commercially, and good results can be obtained
by planting those around croplands.
Cultivation of different types of flowers
can also mitigate arsenic contamination
on soil.
Dr. Haq, who conducted the research on arsenic
for 10 years, said it is not right to irrigate
vegetable fields with tube-well and deep
tube-well waters in arsenic affected areas.
Pond and river waters can be used in those
area.
Stakeholders are invited to contribute
water, sanitation & environmental news &
views to be published in the WatSan
Bulletin.
Advocacy &Information Cell |
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