Central lab to test water quality opens

The laboratory was set up to strengthen the capacity of examining water quality with special emphasis on arsenic contamination analysis and mitigation of arsenic related diseases.

It will also act as the coordinator of 10 zonal laboratories across the country and organise a national water quality monitoring and surveillance system.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan opened the laboratory.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Bhuiyan thanked the Japanese government for promoting better health services in Bangladesh.

He also renewed his government's commitment to ensuring adequate healthcare facilities for the people.

"We have given due importance to arsenic-related diseases, which affected mainly the poor people," he said.

"Establishment of the laboratory is one of the steps we have taken in line with our pledges to eliminate arsenic problem," the minister said.

Japanese Ambassador Matsushiro Horiguchi told the function that the people can be 'water poor' if clean and safe water is not available to them during the hours of need.

So, water quality and rights, groundwater quality and sound environmental management for safe water supply are of crucial importance to any country, he said.

The ambassador mentioned the findings of a survey conducted in 270 villages of Bangladesh that found over 7,000 arsenicosis patients.

He said there are 37 districts across the country having arsenic in groundwater. About 30 million people live in these districts and 90 per cent of them live in rural areas.

Resident Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Akiro Arai also addressed the function, chaired by Chief Engineer of DPHE Khorshed Alam.