DHAKA: Bangladesh has comparatively been advancing in hygienic sanitation usage among other South Asian counties as it has increased to 97 percent from that of 33 percent in a decade ago.

The data was revealed at the inaugural session of the 7th Inter Country Working Group (ICWC) Meeting of SACOSAN (South Asian Conference on Sanitation) at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in the city on Tuesday morning.

Addressing the function, speakers said the rate of hygienic sanitation users in Bangladesh is now 97 percent while 57 percent people use better sanitation across the country.

Only three percent people excrete here and there and solving this issue is the big challenge, they added.

According to them, supply of cheep and sustainable sanitation materials is necessary to face this challenge.

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives ministry senior secretary Monzur Hossain delivered the inaugural speech at the function.

Public health engineering department chief engineer (additional charge) Khaleda Ahsan, LGRD ministry deputy secretary Khairul Islam and Professor Firoz Ahmed also spoke at the function.

Delegations from India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Afghanistan and host Bangladesh attended the two-day meeting.

BDST: 1510 HRS, JAN 27, 2015