Australian High Commissioner visits Manikgonj
The newly appointed High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh, Dr Justin Lee, and his spouse, visited Manikgonj yesterday to inaugurate a workshop promoting safe drinking water for families.
The workshop organised by the Society for People’s Actions in Change and Equity (SPACE), a local NGO, involved local leaders and the community learning about a new project that will provide safe drinking water to families through a new low cost means of water treatment.
SPACE is developing cheap, non-chemical water treatment methods to mitigate arsenic contamination – it uses a simple unit made up of concrete rings, brick, sand and charcoal. The project will provide safe drinking water for three villages or around 500 families.
During his speech at the workshop Dr Lee said, “Arsenic contamination and waterborne diseases continue to endanger many people in Bangladesh, but this simple and effective technology can make a great difference to improving water quality and saving lives.”
Dr Lee congratulated SPACE on its efforts to improve access to safe drinking water and underlined that the Australian Government remained committed to working closely and cooperatively with the people and Government of Bangladesh.
The High Commissioner visited a number of households in the project area and talked with locals, sharing their experience with the project.
The Australian High Commission provided Taka 700,000 to fund the scheme under its Direct Aid Program.
Australian High Commission, Dhaka
19 February 2009
For further information please contact:
Senior Political & Economic Research Officer, AHC, Dhaka.
Tel: 8813105, E-mail: [email protected]