Water and Sanitation (WatSan) Program
Water and Sanitation (WatSan) Program of VOSD In Bangladesh rural areas are very much backward for water and sanitation facilities, even, the people are not aware about the importance and needs of water and sanitation facilities. As a result, different water borne diseases are very common and spread out different diseases in the rural and urban areas due to use of unsafe water. It has been found that maximum diseases are created from the lack of water and sanitation facilities. In Bangladesh, most of the people live in the rural areas and they suffer from different diseases due to lack of pure drinking water and lack of sanitation facilities. In response to these and the importance of the pure water supply and create sanitation facilities and also improving public health, VOSD has been implementing pure drinking water Supply and sanitation (WantSan) Programs in its working areas like Tozumuddin, Vhola Sadar, Chassfesson, Lalmohan of Bhola; Amtoli, Betagi of Barguna; Gournadi, Barisal Sadar, Mehendiganj, Uzirpur, Babuganj, Agoiljhora, Banaripara of Barisal; Patuakhali Sadar, Dasmina, Mirjaganj of Patuakhali; Sharupkathi, Nazirpur of Pirojpur; Jhalakathi Sadar, Nalcity, Rajapur, Kathalia of Jhalikathi; Madhukhali, Charvhadrasson, Bhanga, Sadarpur of Faridpur; Kaliakoir, Kapashia of Gazipur; Hajiganj, Haimchar, Kachua, Matlab Uttor, Chandpur Sadar of Chandpur; Kamalnagar, Ramgati, Raipur, Laxmipur Sadar of Laxmipur; Muktagacha, Fulpur, Nandail of Mymensingh; Islampur, Dewanganj of Jamalpur; Sreebardi of Sherpur Districts with the support of NGO-Forum, UNDP, UNICEF, HYSAWAA, Andheir Hilfe-Germany, APHD-Thailand, SKN International-Netherlands and own initiatives of VOSD with its regular funds.
The main activities are to motivate, educate and encourage practices and also to change their present attitudes and habits, install tube wells, install water sealed latrines and to develop Village Sanitation Centers (VSC) and produce water sealed latrines to ensure easy and door steps supply to the poor beneficiaries. VOSD arranges seminars, workshops, rallies, folksongs, popular theatres, stage drams, different documentary film shows on water and sanitation and observe different related days to raise mass awareness and change the people’s mind and to create mass awareness among the people on use of pure drinking water and water sealed latrines to prevent water-borne diseases for their secured lives. The staffs of VOSD educate and motivate the people through promotional activities, such as (group meetings, house to house visits, and personal contacts and arranging gatherings, training, school WatSan program, religious leaders’ orientation, mosque-based discussion, popular theater and folk-song, rally, miking and film-show ,courtyard meeting, community meeting and child to child approach. VOSD has developed VS Centers, where rings and slabs are produced and supplied to the beneficiaries as well as the community people.
Jibon-O-Jibika (JOJ) - WatSan Program
In the rural areas of Bangladesh, generally the people do not use pure drinking water and water sealed latrines due to lack of knowledge and awareness. As a result, different water-borne diseases are very common and spread out in the program areas that destroy valuable lives every year. Considering the importance, VOSD has been implementing pure drinking water supply and sanitation program in the Tozumuddin area with the co-operation of NGO Forum and Save the Children-USA. The main activities are to motivate, educate and encourage practices and also to change their present attitudes and habits, install tube wells, install water sealed latrines and to develop Village Sanitation Centers (VSC). VOSD arranges different documentary film shows on water and sanitation and observe different related days to change the people’s mind and to create mass awareness among the people on use of pure drinking water and water sealed latrines to prevent water borne diseases for their secured lives. The staffs of VOSD educate and motivate the people through promotional activities, such as (group meetings, house to house visits, and personal contacts and arranging gatherings, training, school WatSan program, religious leaders’ orientation, mosque-based Discussion, popular theater and folk-song, Rally, miking and film- show ,courtyard meeting, community meeting and child to child approach. VOSD has developed one VS Centre, where rings and slabs are produced and supplied to the beneficiaries as well as the community people. So, far VOSD has beeninstalled 7,950 water-sealed latrines and 38 deep tube wells and 358 rehabilitated tube wells in the operational areas covering app. 195,650 people.
Latrine Installation Support
a) Slab Support (one for each family) for 2700 Families:
A total of 2700 poor beneficiaries were identified, who have lost their latrines during SIDR and they were provided slabs to install latrines. Each family was given one slab and they have installed latrines and using the latrines, which has improved the sanitation conditions and public health reducing the water borne diseases among the poor families in the project areas.
b) Deep Tube Well Installation-70.:
During SIDR, most of the tube wells were damaged and some were totally become inactive, which created severe problem of drinking water. So far a total of 70 deep tube wells have installed in the project areas (30 deep tube wells in Kathalia and 40 wells in Uzirpur), which were from 940 feet to 1140 feet. The people are getting pure drinking water from those tube wells, which covered 2600 to 2900 families and reduced water borne diseases.
