98pc people getting safe water, says PM 

Staff Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the incumbent government has achieved success in ensuring safe water for people.

She said, "We targeted providing safe water for 84 percent of people by 2015. During this period, we were able to ensure it for 87 percent. Now 98 percent people of the country are getting safe water."

The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating three-day Dhaka Water Summit-2017 at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital on Saturday.

"All old canals in Dhaka would be re-excavated for preserving surface water and water management apart from excavating new one," she added.

She also said her government has undertaken a plan for decreasing the dependency on underground water to ensuring safe water from surface water sources by 2021 in divisional cities.

Sheikh Hasina called for taking comprehensive approach to achieve the target of safe water for everybody by 2030 as it will help attaining other goals of SDGs.

"Comprehensive approach is needed to achieve the goal of safe water and sanitation as prescribed in the SDG-6 as it will make easier attaining at least seven other goals of SDGs," she said.

Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Chief Coordinator on SDG Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office Abul Kalam Azad spoke, among others, on the occasion, while LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain was in the chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, one of the members in the UN special panel for water and sanitation, said, steps are underway to build reservoirs in industrial and housing areas, installing rainwater harvesting system and draining out wastes and polluted water.


risingbd/Dhaka/July 29, 2017/M A Rahman/A K Azad