Speakers at a symposium yesterday said lack of hygienic sanitation facilities is seriously affecting safe water supply, environment and the public health situation in the district as well as in the country. Without ensuring sustainable sanitation facilities it is impossible to prevent water and environment pollution, they said at the symposium on 'All out sanitation to ensure healthy life' held at Sadar upazila auditorium. Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), World Health Organisation, UNICEF and NGO Forum Khulna jointly organised it in observance of the World Water Day. It is possible to prevent 70 per cent of water and excreta-borne diseases through practicing proper hand washing by the people, they said. Hygienic latrine installation at the household level is a prerequisite to ensure sanitation but the basic hygiene practices including hand-washing should also be properly followed, they added. They called upon the people to launch hand-washing campaign as a social movement. Satkhira Deputy Commissioner Md Kefayetullah was the chief guest on the occasion chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Akhtaruzzaman Talukdar while local PHED Executive Engineer Abdul Hamid Mia, Principal Sheikh Abdul Wadood and Principal Riajul Islam were special guests. Principal Asit Kumar Majumdar presented the keynote paper.