An effort to get rid of a plaguing nuisance

A regular meeting of stakeholders held at Malipara, Ward No 3 in Bhawal Rajabari union in Sreepur upazila yesterday. Rajabari UP chairman (sitting first from left) Kutubuddin Ahmed and Upazila coordinator of Dishari project Abul Hossain Bhuiyan (sitting 2nd from left) are also seen among others in the meeting. PHOTO: STAR

Ninety-five percent of the total 252 villagers of 59 families here are marginal villagers. Even three months back, most of them suffered from various intestinal diseases like diarrhoea, cholera including attack of worms, malaria and typhoid. The main reason behind this was unhygienic latrine use or indiscriminate open defecation. Alongside, lack of health education and awareness had immense role in deteriorating health situation.

However, after launching of the Decentralised Total Sanitation Project (Dishari), jointly developed by the Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Plan Bangladesh and WSP- World Bank, here three months back, the diseases have substantially reduced, and knowledge about reasons for health hazard has increased significantly among the community people.

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This was revealed by Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Kutubuddin Ahmed while talking to this correspondent yesterday. He said at present 53 out of 59 families use hygienic latrines. Remaining six families are ultra poor, but he hoped they are likely to be brought under sanitation coverage within December this year.

Besides Bhawal Rajabari union, seven other unions and one pourasabha (municipality) have also been brought under the programme, according to Sreepur Upazila Coordinator Abul Hossain Bhuiyan. These are Sreepur Pourasabha, Maona union, Gazipur union, Telihati union, Bormi union, Kaoraid union, Goshinga union and Prohladpur union.

Abul Hossain said to this correspondent various mechanisms are followed to reach the goal during implementation of the programme at community level. After his joining here as the UZ coordinator in April he engaged himself for three months in rapport building ground work. He met the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), chairman of all the unions and discussed with them about the new UP led decentralised programme. He involved himself in primary data collection activity.

From the month of July workshops and UP sharing/advocacy meetings were organised at union level.

Being persuaded, Sreepur UNO Md Billal Hossain began to discuss sanitation agenda at regular NGO coordination meetings and upazila development meetings. Twenty-one NGOs including BRAC, ASA, Proshika were involved with the sanitation programme led by Dishari.

Four-day training courses on community mobilisation were organised. The trainings were facilitated by Dishari. The agendas in the training courses were mobilisation of common unity of people, analysis of sanitary situation, resource mobilisation, good governance, local government and planning implementation of sanitation programme.

Mass participation was ensured involving local government leaders, Imam, Purohit, teachers, Gram Sarker, members of civil society, NGO personnel and cultural bodies. Afterwards, Upazila Task Force Committees (UZTFC) and Union Task Force Committees (UTFC) were formed. The task Force organised a one-day planning workshop after attending the training. Journalists, teachers, Imams, Purahits, civil society members, government officials, NGO personnel attended the meeting. All of them made a commitment to help implement the programme. At the meeting participant UP chairmen made announcements that they will help implementation of the sanitation programme by hundred per cent within three months in their respective unions. Similarly commitments were taken at two-day training programmes of Ward Sanitation Task Force (WSTF). Ward members assisted by Dishari worked as facilitators. Dividing each ward into eight to 11 paras, motivational work was done. Baseline surveys were done by making social maps. In the social maps the total number of households, number of hygienic latrines, population (male or female) were mentioned. Through analysis of the social maps, problems are identified where ills and bad effects of unhygienic latrines were discussed. An interaction was created and the community people began to realise their situation. They took resolutions to overcome the ill-effects of open defecation.

Finally they took determinations to build hygienic latrines where three criteria should be fulfilled. Those are: Stool won't be visible, insects like flies and mosquitoes cannot enter and the latrine won't spread bad smell. They learnt that even at low cost (Tk 40 to 100) hygienic latrines can be built.

A mass awakening was marked in the entire Upazila after launching of the programme.

Chairman Kutubuddin told this correspondent, 'As an elected chairman of the union, I have got the opportunity to serve people through Dishari and I have availed it to work effectively for the sake of the community.' He played an effective role in succeeding the programme along with his two UP members Mahbubur Rahman and Yusuf Ali.

The chairman told this correspondent that a tremendous change has occurred in knowledge, attitude and behaviour in relation to health and hygiene habit. The change is just like a miracle.

Like many other stakeholders in the village Motalib Quazi, a noted trader in Gram Sarker and Imam of local Baitul Aman Jame Mosque disclosed the secret, 'It is certainly the hygienic sanitation coverage and practices by community people irrespective of age and sex.'

Various techniques like group discussion, community meetings have been used to implement the programme.

The project was launched three months back aiming at improving quality of life of people living in poverty in terms of access to sanitation through increased capacity of Union Parishad for planning and implementation of development interventions.

The villagers and other relevant stakeholders have voiced it in front of this correspondent that the traditional practices of defecation were thought as immutable. But, now the villagers have been illuminated by dint of access to information about the facilities of sanitation, hygienic practices, and overall health and environment as well.