With edutainment activities like puppet show, street play and magic show in villages, the West Bengal government and UNICEF has launched a campaign to educate people about safe drinking water and safe sanitation practises.
Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said the campaign is meant to generate demand for improved water supply in unreached habitations and gradually provide access to piped water supply for all by 2020.
“We are trying to create awareness in the communities about the importance of safe drinking water and the maintenance of water sources as well as the need to get their water tested at facilities nearest to their homes,” he said adding that the government remains committed to eliminate open defecation by 2017.
The week-long campaign will be observed from Feb 20th-25th across all the districts, blocks and gram panchayats.
Various edutainment activities like street play, magic show, puppet show, motivational songs, skits, performances by local artists, etc will be organised during the Grameen Mela in each block to educate people on safe practises related with sanitation and water.
“Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more. Without WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), sustainable development is impossible,” said Asadur Rahman, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF West Bengal.