The Daily Star November 21, 2002 


      Rotary to provide $ 5 lakh for arsenic mitigation



      STAFF CORRESPONDENT


      The Bangladesh chapter of Rotary International will provide 500,000 US 
      dollars for the UNICEF's arsenic mitigation programme in the country 
      aiming to ensure supply of safe drinking water to about 3.5 lakh people.
      To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the 
      office of the UNICEF's Representative in the city yesterday, said a press 
      release.

      UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Morten Giersing and past District 
      Governor of Rotary District 3280 Iftekhaul Alam signed the MOU on behalf 
      of their respective parties. 

      Rotary International is co-sponsoring the joint collaboration between 
      UNICEF and Rotary District 3280 that will fasten the pace of arsenic 
      mitigation in selected hotspot upazilas of Bangladesh.

      Water and Environmental Sanitation chief of UNICEF Colin Davis, Chief of 
      Communication & Information Naseem-Ur Rehman, Governor-elect of RI 
      District 3280 Mir Anisuzzaman were also present at the signing ceremony.
      Morten Giersing commended the valuable partnership with Rotary and 
      recalled the successful collaboration for polio eradication.

      According to the press release of UNICEF, the fund from Rotary will be 
      spent in between 2002-2004, primarily to support NGO activities in eight 
      upazilas to provide safe water options for the communities where UNICEF is 
      already implementing its arsenic mitigation programmes.

      Under the MOU, a part of the funding will be utilised for training of 
      Rotarians to raise awareness about arsenic and mitigation skills. The 
      UNICEF will provide technical and programming guidance and monitor field 
      activities.

      The UNICEF is already engaged in mitigation of arsenic contamination in 45 
      upazilas under a four-pronged strategy - testing tubewells, filtration, 
      alternative sources of drinking water and identification and management of 
      arsenicosis patients.