AGARTALA, March 17 (TIWN): Workshop on ‘National Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness Week’ was organized by the PWD (DWS) department at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, here today. The ‘National Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness Week’ will continue till March 22.

Minister for health Badal Chowdhury inaugurated the workshop. Speaking in the inaugural ceremony Badal Chowdhury appealed to all the participants to realize the importance of Water Conservation and Sanitation and asked them to carry on the campaign at Block and GP levels. Badal Chowdhury further said that water is one of the basic needs of human being. And all the human civilizations started on the bank of a river and this shows that water is required for existence of human being.  However, now-a-days it is a big cause of illness and diseases due to contamination of water. Therefore, ensuring safe drinking water is necessary for a healthy living, he added.He further said that, without the active participation of the general public, Government alone cannot successfully implement all the developmental schemes. So, the general public and all the stakeholders of the Government should co-operate the Government while implementing developmental schemes.

Minister for Public Works (Drinking Water and Sanitation) Ratan Bhowmik, highlighted the aims and objectives of the workshop and also highlighted about the Swachh Bharat Mission programme and other issues related to Sanitation, Drinking Water and Water Conservation.Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life. 80 percent people of the state are consuming drinking water from water treatment plants, Bhowmik added.

Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) Dr. Prafullajit Sinha, Principal Secretary of PWD Lok Ranjan and other dignitaries were present in the workshop.