GUWAHATI, Feb 17 - UNICEF India Country Office representative Karin Hulshof on Wednesday assured full support to the Government to accelerate the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) while addressing an assembly of Deputy Commissioners, Zila Parishad representatives, Government engineers and other officials here.
To ensure speedy progress in provision of rural sanitation and safe drinking water supply in the State, the Public Health Engineering department, Government of Assam, Department of Drinking Water Supply, Government of India in collaboration with UNICEF organised a two-day workshop which concluded today.
Speaking at the workshop, Hulshof said that the convergence of NRHM and Public Health Engineering department will bring positive results in the State and boost the preventive health initiatives at the grassroots level.
It needs to be mentioned here that based on an MoU signed between the NRHM and the Public Health Engineering department, Government of Assam, UNICEF is supporting the capacity building of the Village Health and Sanitation Committees (VHSC). UNICEF will support the training of 27,000 VHSC in the State.
Of late, the VHSC has emerged as the platform of different agencies involved in improving the health services including ASHA worker, the motivator for sanitation under the TSC etc. Hence capacity building of the VHSC has become a key priority for all departments involved in addressing public health concerns.
Hulshof said that Assam faced serious challenges relating to water quality due to contamination by arsenic and fluoride. �UNICEF has been able to support the Government in mapping of the 72 arsenic affected blocks and testing of 55,000 sources in 18 districts,� she said further adding that UNICEF was partnering with the Tea Tribes Welfare department, the Public Health Engineering and the Tea Garden Management to address the water and sanitation needs of the tea garden workers. The first phase of the project funded by the State Government is under way in five districts in upper Assam covering more than 164,000 families of casual workers not covered under the Plantations Labour Act.
