ZCZC
BSS-31
SAFE-WATER-EDOTCO
edotco, BRAC to ensure safe drinking water in Maheshkhali
DHAKA, Dec 8, 2020 (BSS) – Telecommunications infrastructure services company, edotco Bangladesh, in collaboration with BRAC, has installed reverse osmosis (RO) based water treatment plants to provide safe drinking water to over 1.000 families of underprivileged communities in Maheshkhali.
Inhabitants in Maheshkhali, a distant island of Cox’s Bazar district, mostly rely on shallow wells, ponds and streams which are often contaminated both biologically and chemically beyond human consumption.
Besides, water supply from these sources is also shrinking due to the constant intrusion of the salinity. This has made the lives of the lowest income groups difficult, especially the women and children, said a press release today.
As a part of social commitment to improving the livelihoods of the community, especially the underprivileged community near the tower sites, edotco has installed two plants/projects in Uttor Meheriapara Jame Mosque and Kutubjom Model High School in Maheshkhali, impacting the lives of about 1000 poor and ultra-poor households under the Tower to Community (T2C) CSR initiative, according to the press release.
To eliminate the scarcity of safe drinking water and improve the health of the community people, the project ensures the sustainable provision of safe drinking water for free or at a subsidized rate.
This partnership with BRAC WASH Programme will help eliminate the long inequities in water supply service provision in remote areas and raise awareness on using safe water and hand-washing, including COVID–19 messages.
A beneficiary, Sufia khatun, mother of two children, said, “Before these water plants, we had no viable source of safe drinkable water. Like me, many women used to walk several hours every day to meet the daily necessities for their families.”
“Despite this, our children and family members were prone to getting affected by other diseases, including stomach ailments, frequently. We are grateful to edotco and BRAC’s joint initiative for making our lives easier,” said Sufia.
Ricky Steyn, Country Managing Director of edocto Bangladesh, said as a socially responsible company, edotco underscores the importance of such initiatives in remote areas of the country.
“Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right and it must be ensured to attain the country’s commitment to achieve SDG 6, supply of safe drinking water for all,” he said.
Md. Akramul Islam, Director of BRAC’s Communicable Diseases and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, said in an effort to ensure welfare of communities in Moheshkhali, facilities of safe drinking water has been installed which will especially benefit the women and girls.
“This initiative will help many families stay protected from water borne diseases and also from the havoc of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
BSS/PR/MAK/GA/1645 Hrs