'Ensure hygiene thru waste management'

An initiative has been taken to ensure good health by implementing waste management in the town under a project titled 'Urban Climate Change Resilience'.

The new project was launched at Codec training centre hall room in the town yesterday.

Dr Md Shafiqul Islam, mayor of Patuakhali municipality, presided over the programme while Md Hemayet Uddin, additional deputy commissioner of Patuakhali, was the chief guest.

Archana, additional director of Codec, Philipp Danao, communication and operation specialist of donor agency OXFAM, and Hasibur Rahman, focal person of the project, among others, spoke.

Codec, a local NGO, is implementing the 46-month-long project at a cost of Tk 2.95 crore. The project will end in January 2021, said its focal person Hasibur Rahman.

Under the project, steps have been taken to ensure good health by implementing waste management in the area as the municipality now can collect waste from only 1,500 households out of 10,500 in the town.

Wastes of other households are dumped here and there. As a result, environment is polluted badly, said Hasibur.

To ensure good health for all citizens, waste management should be given priority, he said.

The mayor said they are trying their best to develop waste management and looking for land to set up a dumping site.

They are planning to turn waste into organic fertilizer, he said.

All municipality councillors and local elites were present at the programme.