“Half the slum is knee-deep in water during high monsoons. There is no electricity, no water supply. And the worst is that we do not have toilets,” said Tara Mia, a vegetable hawker who lives with his wife and three children in a Dhaka slum.
Around 70 percent of the population of Bangladesh live in rural areas and do not have adequate access to sanitation. Improving rural sanitation is a complicated challenge, which involves action on several fronts. Individuals need to be aware of how their behavior may damage the environment and what they need to do to protect their own and public health. This requires education aimed at young people as well as information campaigns targeted at all age groups.
Bangladesh Government is trying to achieve 100 percent sanitation coverage through regular supply of hardware and proper maintenance, with a sustained campaign on hygienic hand-washing habits by 2011.