DHAKA, Nov 04, 2024 (BSS)- Eastern Bank Ltd. (EBL) and International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) have signed an agreement to work together in medical waste management and addressing water scarcity in coastal Bangladesh.

Under the special corporate social responsibility initiative, EBL will provide BDT 9.2 million in the purpose, according to the agreement signed today at EBL's head office in the city, a press release said.

Following the success of a medical waste management project funded by EBL in early 2024, the bank has extended its support to the second phase of ICDDR,B initiative ‘Best Practices in Sustainable Solid Bio-hazardous Waste Management’.

This phase will enhance waste treatment capacity at ICDDR,B by introducing advanced sterilization technology and providing training to key healthcare facilities in Dhaka.

The programme also aims to align national medical waste management policies with sustainable practices, ensuring a more environment-friendly and resilient healthcare system.

Under the agreement EBL would also support ICDDR,B project ‘Purified Water for Salinity-Prone Areas: Overcoming Water Scarcity Challenges in Coastal Bangladesh’.

The project would establish a reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant in Shyamnagar in Satkhira district, one of the most salinity-affected regions in the country, to provide clean drinking water to 200 households.

One of the significant features of the project is to measure the blood pressure and urinary sodium levels of participants before and after drinking purified water, the press release said.

CEO of EBL Ali Reza Iftekhar, ICDDR,B executive director Dr Tahmeed Ahmed and senior officials were present.