Out of the world’s population some 2.8b persons don’t have proper toilet facilities and 1.8b of that population lives in South Asia. Also each year, 1.4m persons die due illnesses connected with lack of proper sanitation facilities, said Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

He was addressing the inauguration of the Inter Country Working Group Meeting of the South Asian Conference on Sanitation at Hotel Taj Samudra Friday (04).

"A separate budget for sanitation has been allocated for 2012 and additionally a national level coordination body under the chairmanship of my ministry has been established to create the platform for all sector partners, government organizations, NGOs and funding agencies to address issues with regard to water and sanitation," he said.

Minister Gunawardena said his ministry has given highest recognition to the Colombo Declaration, the content of which was brought to the notice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Cabinet.

"Thereafter, a special announcement was made on the country's sanitation policy which included school sanitation as well. The Economic Development Ministry allocated Rs. 1 billion to build 25,000 toilets," he said.