Govt firm to tackle sanitation issues: Soomro
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro Thursday reiterated the resolve of the government to improve sanitation cover in Pakistan to meet Millennium Development Goals. “The government is committed to tackling sanitation issues by strengthening institutional as well as human capacity through the implementation of National Sanitation Policy,” the prime minister said in his message ahead of World Water Day falling on March 22.
He also mentioned to lunching projects on enhancing sanitation cover at the national, provincial and local levels to make localities open defecation free and provide better health facilities. Theme for the World Water Day this year is, “Sanitation Matters”, and is vital for creating awareness about the standard and quality of life. Since 2008, has been declared as the International Year of Sanitation, the theme selected for the day attains special significance.
“I am confident that the World Water Day will highlight issues and challenges on sanitation around the world,” Soomro said. “The environmental impact on health is largely visible in developing countries, where there is a strong correlation between the level of poverty and the burden of environmental diseases,” the Prime Minister said.
An estimated 42% population has access to sanitation facilities and 45% households do not have access to lavatory facilities. The Prime Minister urged investing in sanitation to reduce child mortality, better maternal health, fewer deaths from water-borne diseases, fewer girls dropping out of school and more women playing an active role in their communities.
“Pakistan is well on its way to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially for reducing to half the proportion of people lacking basic sanitation services by 2015, and moving onwards to our vision-2030, for ensuring sanitation for all,” he said.
The prime minister said, while working towards the successful implementation of our National Sanitation Policy, the International Year of Sanitation offers us a very special opportunity to bring the cross-cutting importance of sanitation in all spheres of development.
Sanitation is a matter of global concern as currently, over 2.4 billion people in the world are without proper sanitation, while reportedly nearly 6,000 children die every day from diseases related to poor sanitation and hygiene. It is also estimated that water borne diseases account for over 20 percent of the diseases worldwide.-SANA
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