Community Awareness Dialogue

Safe Water and Sanitation in Rural villages of District Nawabshah Launched

by Sangat Development Foundation (SDF)

Given in growing health problems in rural areas of District Nawabshah, mostly

resulted in by unsafe water and sanitation problems, Sangat Development
Foundation (SDF) being a responsible community based organisation has
launched community awareness dialogue on safe water and sanitation with rural
communities of remote and backward areas of district Nawabshah.

Sangat team visited a number of rural villages and schools in order to spread
awareness on importance of safe drinking water and sanitation, with a view to
cope with growing chronic diseases mostly born out of unsafe drinking water
and sanitation.

The health team of Sangat Development Foundation (SDF) convinced the rural
community to adopt better hygiene practices to keep themselves and their child
community safe from curable diseases.

“We used to drink open bond water and also utilise same water for cooking,”
Ahmed explains of village Qaimuddin Sahito. “If we had known that unsafe

Safe Water and Sanitation Campaign in Rural Villages of District Nawabshah

water was harmful for our health and health of our children and causing
diarrhoea and respiratory disease – we would not be drinking it.”

He further proposed that there is badly need to carry this message house to
house to educate especially women community who could be effective change
agents in the society for building a healthy nation. It is very difficult to change
old habits of the people in one or two meetings; it needs sustained efforts to
convince the common masses to carry out self-initiatives for safe drinking water
and sanitation.

Not doubt, somewhere in rural areas, unsafe water is also main issue, which has
resulted in many water born diseases i.e diarrhea in children of the rural areas,
but lack of sanitation awareness has also played havoc with the health of the
rural community.

It has been noticed that open defecation is the main cause of health problems
especially of children in rural villages. They used to practicing open defecation,
which is causing many diseases in children. Sanitary Latrine system still has not
been developed in rural villages; even in some rural villages it is a new very
concept for them.

Safe Water and Sanitation Campaign in Rural Villages of District Nawabshah

There is dire need to be launched campaign in rural schools because children and
youth are more recipients of sanitation message than the old age people. The
children and youth could play an effective role in promoting hygiene conditions
in rural areas.

No doubt children is vulnerable segment of any society, which need care and
look after in their early ages of life, but especially in our rural areas, the child
community is not given even due attention, it may be of their socio-psychological
development and health.

Poor sanitation also highly contributes in developing diarrheal diseases, which

ultimately to be the cause of child mortality. Improved hygiene conditions will
save lives and help child survival and environmental sustainability. Therefore,
sustained efforts need to be undertaken for educating rural community on
importance of safe drinking water and sanitation, not merely to control the
curable diseases in child community but also to have better environment for over
all health of our community.

Safe Water and Sanitation Campaign in Rural Villages of District Nawabshah