To sensitize State’s panchayats regarding usage of safe and clean drinking water, Punjab Government has conducted a consistent sensitization campaign under the name of “Diarrhoea Control Fortnight” from July 10 to 25.
During the campaign, which was observed as a part of Mission Tandarust Punjab, sensitization camps were organised in the rural areas of the State.
“The Diarrhoea Control Fortnight was observed with a close coordination of Health and Family Welfare Department and Women and Child Development Department. During the course of this sensitization programme, camps were organised by the employees of the department in villages, schools and colleges to generate awareness about the usage of safe and clean drinking water,” said an official spokesperson of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department on Sunday.
Spokesperson said that the Department also held camps to sensitize members of Gram Panchayat, Youth Clubs, Cooperative Societies and NGOs. During the camps, the participants were made aware about various kinds of ailments and diseases caused due to use of contaminated water, besides sensitizing them to adopt healthy lifestyle and use clean and safe drinking water.
They were also sensitize about the preventive measures which may be taken to avoid Diarrhoea, said the spokesperson. Spokesperson said that every year, minimum 1.7 billion cases of diarrhoea are reported at world level out of which 7,60,00 children below the age of five-year died of diarrhoea. The main reason of malnutrition of children under the age of five is diarrhoea and this diarrhoea is also the second biggest reason for death of the children below the age of five years.
“Water Supply and Sanitation Department is whole heartedly working at the grass root level to provide safe and potable drinking water to every household in the rural area of the state. Water, which is being supplied by water works, is purified by the process of chlorination so that the citizen vector borne diseases could be avoided to spread in the rural area,” said the spokesperson.
“For the testing of water, the Department has setup quality check laboratories in all the districts of the state wherein quality of water is tested on different parameters before its supply to the citizen,” added the spokesperson.