
The PHED Staffs along with students at a rally in commemoration of National Rural Drinking Water at Mon.
Mon, February 20 (DIPR): In commemoration of the National Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness week, a one day rally was organized at Mon town on February 20 by the Department of PHED Division, Mon. A formal function was held at Local ground, Mon Hq. with the President KNSK Lomei Konyak as the Chief Guest.
Lomei in her speech exhorted the participating students to avail the opportunity of the rally. She said the students in particular need to know about sanitation and put into practice first because the future belongs to the youths. She also said that the youths are the appropriate sections of the society to create awareness to family, friends and the society, and appealed to the youths to disseminate the information on safe drinking water and sanitation to the masses.
Lomei also said that Water is an essential part of our lives and the most precious gifts to all living being from Almighty have been contaminated by man for his personal gain. Deforestation has resulted in climate change and shortage of water, while coalmining has contaminated the water and damage the soil leaving it unfit for cultivation, she added.
Speaking on sanitation and safe drinking water, Aochuba Longchar, consultant Sanitation & Hygiene appealed to the youths to play a responsive role in bringing above a sanitized society. He challenged the youths to be an ambassador of sanitation and inculcate a sense of responsibility to initiate and carry the message to the people to change our society. He asserted that students are the target individuals and urge them to become a responsible citizens to make Mon sanitized and eco-friendly district.
He also informed that 5 million people died every year from preventable waterborne disease as a result of inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices. Improved sanitation like simple hand wash with soap could save the lives of 1.5 million children who died from diarrhea disease each year. As per WHO, in India 5 of the 10 top killer diseases of children aged 1 to 14 years are water and sanitation related.
National Rural Drinking Water & Sanitation Awareness week is to create grass root awareness among the masses about safe drinking water habits generally among the rural populations to ensure proper treatment of water before it is being supplied and also to ensure management of available resources for the better distribution and adequate water supply among the people in the district.