Nuruchsafa Manik, Reporter || 380 Marginal Families in Khagrachhari to Receive Climate-Resilient Latrines and Safe Drinking WaterA total of 380 families from marginalized communities in Khagrachhari Hill District will receive climate-resilient, sustainable latrines and access to safe drinking water.A consultation workshop on the initiative was held on Wednesday (August 12) at the conference room of the Khagrachhari Hill District Council. The workshop was organized under the project titled “Access to and Utilization of Lifesaving Services by Marginalized Communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.”The project is being implemented by Jabarang Kalyan Samiti with support from Helen Keller International, while Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) is providing technical assistance and organizing the workshop.The workshop focused on improving access to and use of lifesaving services among marginalized communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as providing safe drinking water and climate-resilient latrines to families of children suffering from moderate and severe malnutrition.Khagrachhari Hill District Council Chairman Shefalika Tripura attended the workshop as the chief guest. Mathura Bikash Tripura, executive director of Jabarang Kalyan Samiti, chaired the event.Participants exchanged experiences and views on access to lifesaving services, safe water supply and sanitation facilities for marginalized communities in the hill region.The session was moderated by Binodon Tripura, project coordinator of Jabarang Kalyan Samiti. Engineer Aniruddha Sarkar, Khagrachhari representative of FIVDB, gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the proposed locations, technical designs, implementation methods and estimated costs for installing water supply facilities and climate-resilient latrines.Following the presentation, FIVDB WASH Manager Randhir Kumar Das responded to questions from the chief guest, special guests and participants. The participants also put forward several practical suggestions and recommendations aimed at achieving the project's objectives.The organizers said coordination and effective joint initiatives among relevant institutions were essential to ensuring access to lifesaving services, safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities for marginalized communities in the hill region.In her speech, Chief Guest Shefalika Tripura advised the project authorities to maintain close communication and coordination with the upazila-level representatives of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) while implementing the project. She also urged the authorities to take into consideration the technical recommendations provided by DPHE representatives.In his speech, K.M. Sayeed Mahmud, executive engineer of DPHE in Khagrachhari, thanked Helen Keller International Bangladesh for funding such a major project for the district and FIVDB for coming forward to provide technical assistance.He also thanked FIVDB for involving DPHE at different stages of the project and finalizing the designs after seeking technical advice from the government department. In his concluding remarks, Mathura Bikash Tripura, executive director of Jabarang Kalyan Samiti, stressed the need to avoid duplication of activities and ensure close coordination with DPHE throughout the implementation of the project.