KHULNA, Oct 29, 2024 (BSS) - Speakers at a meeting here today said collective initiative of various government institutions and mass people can help to build a healthy city.

"If all institutions linked with urban development coordinate their activities then a healthy, livable city can be ensured for the city dwellers," they said while speaking at the fifth meeting of the technical committee of healthy city project.

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) organised the meeting in cooperation with World Health Organisation(WHO) at the KCC's Shaheed Altaf Auditorium in the city.

The speakers said that violence, mental illness and premature death are increasing due to overcrowding, lack of basic necessities like safe water, hygienic sanitation and spread of communicable diseases in urban areas. These health risks are spreading in different areas of the society.

Various government, private, research institutions and donor organisations are working to deal with the situation, they added.

Khulna divisional commissioner and administrator of KCC Md Helal Mahmud Sharif addressed the meeting as chief guest with KCCs chief executive officer(CEO) Laskar Tazul Islam in the chair.

The chief guest Md Helal Mahmud Sharif said we want to build Khulna as a healthy city of international standard for the future generation.
To achieve this, change in the mentality of the citizens is necessary. The citizens have to be respectful towards the law and coordination should be established among various organizations providing services in the city.
    
Five cities are being developed as healthy city with the joint initiatives and funding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Swiss Development Cooperation. Khulna is one of those five cities.

The project is being implemented jointly by the Non communicable Diseases (NCDs) control program of Health Department, Khulna City Corporation (KCC), Swiss Development Cooporation and the WHO.

Director of the Department of Health of Khulna Division Dr Md Monjurul Murshid, KCC's Chief revenue officer Sanjida Begum, Secretary Sharif Asif Rahman, Chief engineer Moshiuzzaman Khan, Civil surgeon Dr Sheikh Shafiqul Islam, among others, attended the meeting.

Programme Officer of the Healthy City Project Asif Ahmed and Dr Md Shahnewaz Parvez presented the keynote paper.