Sanitation Conference Ends
S Asian countries pledge to achieve basic sanitation
Abdul Jalil Bhuyian from Islamabad
The Second South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-2) ended here yesterday with the participating countries reaffirming their commitment and political will to achieve the targets of basic sanitation in pursuance of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Dhaka Declaration of the first sanitation conference.The two-day conference also adopted 'Islamabad Declaration' which reads sanitation being the basic human need is essential for improvement of environment, health and quality of life. It said half of the population in these countries have no access to proper sanitation and about one million men, women and children reportedly die annually due to water-and-sanitation-related diseases. The declaration also calls for proper management of solid and liquid wastes, provision of proper sanitation facilities for maintaining hygienic environment and better urban planning for ensuring proper sanitation. The conference at its concluding session decided to hold the SACOSAN-3 in India in 2008, SACOSAN-4 in Sri Lanka in 2010 and SACOSAN-5 in Nepal in 2012. Delegations from 11 countries Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, The Maldives and Myanmar took part in the conference. The delegates included ministers, state ministers, senior civil servants, professionals, academics, civil society members and representatives of non-government organisations and development partners.
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