Published on: 10/06/2011
The finance minister's claim that 90.6 percent families in Bangladesh are using sanitary latrines has been dismissed by experts. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Report 2010) data shows the sanitary latrine coverage in Bangladesh is only 51.5 per cent (which is consistent with the 53 per cent coverage figure given by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation in 2010). Wateraid Bangladesh's country director Dr Md Khairul Islam that there was 'no way' such huge coverage has been achieved as claimed by the finance minister and he was provided with 'misleading' data was provided to the minister.
Minister A.M.A. Muhith named the 90.6 per cent coverage figure while presenting the budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 year. In his 2009-2010 budget speech the minister announced a plan to construct 500,000 new latrines so that total sanitation coverage would be achieved by 2013.
Source: bdnews24.com, 10 Jul 2011
