Rawalpindi: Fifty villages falling in remote areas of Rawalpindi district have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) under Pakistan Approach to Total Sanitation (PATS) Water and Sanitation Hygiene programme being implemented in different district of Punjab Province. The Senior Representatives of WASH visited rural remote areas Ghanger Union Council Chohan Chakri and Nakrali Union Council Trahiya of Rawalpindi and inspected the implementation of WASH programme which is being implemented in selected areas of Rawalpindi District for elimination of open defecation to avoid pollution and various other fatal ailments caused due to un-hygienic conditions of the environment.
The team members including Regional WASH Advisor South Asia Ms. Therese Dooly, Chief WASH UNICEF Pakistan Mr. Kitka Goyal, WASH Specialists NICEF Pakistan Mr. Teodoros Mulegeta, WASH Specialist UNICEF Punjab Mrs. Sabahat Ampreen, WASH Officer UNICEF Punjab Maleeha Sajjad Naqvi, Deputy Director Community Development Unit Public Health Engineering Department Tariq Mehmood Geelani, Superintending Engineer Qasim Khan Niazi and Community Development Officer Public Health Engineering Department AhsenUllah stressed for collaborated efforts to promote basic principles of hygienic at local level with active involvement of youth and community. They also stressed mutual cooperation of various public and private institutions and community organizations to achieve the targets. Mr. AhsenUllah informed that 50 villages of Rawalpindi have been declared ODF while similar number of villages would be declared ODF up to June 2017.Talking on the occasion, Regional WASH Advisor South Asia Ms. Theresse Dooly said that it is dire need to motivate masses for observing basic principles of hygiene and all government departments associated in the WASH programme will extend full assistance to achieve the targets fixed for Rawalpindi District.
The team of experts also met the people in various villages where no toilet facility was available earlier, and after the motivational campaign of social mobilizers and community focal persons people have this facility in their houses, the beneficiaries expressed satisfaction and expressed their gratitude for selection of their areas for WASH programme. The foreign visitors expressed satisfaction over the pace of work and admired the dedicated efforts of all team members and stakeholders associated for the task.
