ADB President Outlines Water Agenda for Asia-Pacific Region

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda unveiled a seven-point agenda to prioritize water investments in the Asia-Pacific region in a speech held at the World Cities Summit in Singapore. Kuroda said that the ADB aims to help countries in the region boost new water investments to $20 billion to improve water security.

“In our recently approved long-term strategic framework, known as Strategy 2020, we highlight water as a key priority area of operations in the coming years”, Mr. Kuroda said.

The new agenda offered by Mr. Kuroda calls for:

1. increased investments in rural water services;
2. developing more bankable urban projects that improve water utility performance;
3. collaboration in integrated water resource management and significantly higher investments in comprehensive sanitation systems;
4. investment in measures to adapt to climate change;
5. investing water-related disaster mitigation;
6. improved water governance, performance and knowledge management;
7. investing in partnerships.

The call for the region to prioritize water investments comes at the mid-way point of ADB’s Water Financing Program (WFP) 2006-2010, for which the institution had committed to double its water program and catalyze substantial investment, reform, and capacity development in the three key areas of rural water, urban water, and basin water.

Read more: ADB, 25 Jun 2008

Pakistan, Karachi: Underlining water and sanitation problems through theatre

The theatre on water and sanitation problems attracted community members in the fishermen locality Ibrahim Hyderi on Sunday evening. In an effort to highlight the sanitation and water problems of the fishermen locality, the performance was given by Murk Theatre, Hyderabad.

The event was organised jointly by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), Pakistan Institute of Labour, Education and Research (PILER) and Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) to motivate the community to use water carefully and keep a strict watch over manipulation by the service-providing agency – the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB). The theatre mirrored the stark reality of Karachi in general and Ibrahim Hyderi in particular.

Read more: The News International, 10 Jun 2008

Philippines: Typhoon death toll rises; water and sanitation worries grow

The death toll from Typhoon Fengshen continues to rise a week after it devastated much of central Philippines, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). The NDCC figures as of 27 June confirm at least 629 dead (including 124 passengers of the capsized ferry M/V Princess of the Stars), more than 900 missing, and 2.4 million displaced.

[...]

According to the Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, a big challenge now is the widespread shortage of potable water and poor sanitation in areas ravaged by the typhoon, particularly in the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo in the Western Visayas. Many people get their drinking water from open sources as they cannot afford bottled water.

[...]

“Water and sanitation seem to be a big problem,” said Andrew MacLeod of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, after meeting NDCC officials on 27 June. He said UN agencies would possibly provide water and sanitation equipment and other assistance.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has reportedly appealed for SwFr8,310,213 ($8 million) in cash, kind or services, in response to a request for support from the Philippines National Red Cross to assist 6,000 families for 12 months with clean water and shelter. Its priority is the prevention of water-borne diseases, including malaria, measles and diarrhoeal diseases.

Read more: IRIN, 27 Jun 2008

KnowledgeHubs: New Asia-Pacific Network Launched to Tackle Water Problems

Twelve centres of excellence from across the Asia-Pacific region have launched a network to share solutions for improving water management to tackle the region’s many pressing water challenges.

The network, known as “KnowledgeHubs,” is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, which was established in 2006 with support from Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote leadership and boost investment in the water sector.

KnowledgeHubs is supported by ADB, Singapore’s national water agency PUB, UNESCO, and the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education.

Candidate Hubs for Sanitation and for Water Supply for Rural Areas and Small Towns, still need to be identified.

Below is the list of the 12 founding members and their topics

• Urban Water Management: Pub WaterHub – Singapore
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Flood Management – ICHARM – Japan
• Water and Climate Change Adaptation in Southeast Asia: NAHRIM – Malaysia
• River Basin Organizations and Management: CRBOM – Indonesia
• Water Quality Management in River Basins: K-water – Korea
• Decision Support Systems for River Basin Management (Hydroinformatics): CHIRB – China
• Water Governance: Institute of Water Policy (IWP), LKY School of Public Policy – Singapore
• Irrigation Service Reform: IWMI – Sri Lanka
• Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia: Central Asia IWRM Resource Center – Uzbekistan
• Integrated Water Resources Management in the Pacific: Pacific IWRM Resource Centre – Fiji Islands
• Erosion and Sedimentation in River Basins: IRTCES – CHINA
• Healthy Rivers and Aquatic Ecosystems: IWC – Australia

Candidate Knowledge Hubs and their topics are:

• Transboundary Water Resources Management: Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) – LAO PDR
• Water and Climate Change Adaptation in South Asia: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) – India
• Groundwater Management: Candidate Hub to be identified
• Sanitation: Candidate Hub to be identified
• Water Supply for Rural Areas and Small Towns: Candidate Hub to be identified
• Water and Energy: Candidate Hub to be identified

Source: ADB, 26 Jun 2008

Nepal: Melamchi project showcases graft in TI report

Now, the multi-million dollar Melamchi Water Supply Project has added another feather to its notoriety cap, thanks to the Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report 2008, which has portrayed the controversial $371 million project as a showcase of water related corruption in Nepal.
“The project was bogged down by vested interests,” states the Nepal section of the report [p. 210], contributed by Ramesh Nath Dhungel from Transparency International-Nepal. “Incoming governments appear to cancel previous commitments and award contacts to their supporters. It is still to be seen what the effects of the decision to cancel the contract will be, but it is likely to delay the Melamchi project further, by at least a year,” the report says.

Source: Himalayan Times, 25 Jun 2008

Nepal: minister’s decision to transfer officials fuels protests

The recent decision of Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami to transfer three top-level officials at the ministry has invited protests from trade unions.

On June 8, Yami had transferred three officials -Hari Prasad Sharma, Ishwari Paudyal and Rajkumar Malla. Sharma, who was heading Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS), has been brought to the ministry as joint secretary. Similarly, Paudyal, joint-secretary at the ministry, has been sent to Bagmati Sewerage Management Project while Rajkumar Malla, the chief of BSMP, has been transferred to DWSS as director general.

In March 2008 Yami was criticised for appointing relatives and maoist activists in different agencies under her ministry.

Read more: Himalayan Times / NGO Forum, 15 June 2008 and Kantipur / NGO Forum, 9 June 2008

Nepal: Distillery in toilet, defecation on road

There are toilets in every house in the remote settlement of Tistung [Makwanpur, district] but the roads and courtyards stink due to open defecation. No one in the area defecates in the toilet but on roads and courtyards. They use the concrete toilets near their houses as a storeroom for fodder and firewood or use it as a distillery to produce local wine.

[...]

“We can defecate anywhere in the open but the fodder will get rotten if we do not keep them in the toilets safe from rain”, a local resident said.

Read more: Pratap Bista, Kantipur / NGO Forum, 2 June 2008

Nepal: 9th National Sanitation Week celebrations

The 9th National Sanitation Week was celebrated in Nepal from 1-7 June 2008 in support of the International Year of Sanitation 2008.

The Department of Water Supply and Sewerage said the objective of the Sanitation Week was to promote the construction of latrines and to declare open defecation free zones. The government plans to provide 60% population with toilets within three years.

During the Sanitation Week open defecation free zones were declared in several villages: Rajyauda and Dola villages in Dadeldhura district; Jhauwabari village in Morang; Dulalthok village in Kavre; and Rajdevi village in Makawanpur.

Other activities held to celebrate the Sanitation Week included:

The Bagmati Peace Festival which promoted the clean-up of Bagmati River and also celebrated the transition of Nepal into a Federal Republic

• A street drama named Paribartan to raise awareness about sanitation was held in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchok District
• A musical procession with street drama and a song promoting sanitation and health organised by the Community Drinking Water and Sanitation Office in Rolpa
• A Sanitation Week Rally in Sisakhani, Kavre district organised by the Education Development Primary School Sisakhani and Nagbeli Chhap Drinking Water and Sanitation Users’ Committee

Nepal: national water supply corporation reeling under human resource crunch

The state-owned Nepal Water Supply Corporation, responsible for drinking water supply in 23 cities, is facing a dire situation due to lack of human resources. After the government carved semi-government institutions out of NWSC – Kathmandu Valley Water Management Board, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) and Nepal Water Tariff Fixation Commission – on 13 February 2008, almost half of its staff joined these institutions.

Now only 15 chiefs are running the 23 NWSC city offices. There is a shortage of engineers and overseers as well, and some district are unable to operate due to staff shortages.
“The season of water-borne disease has not ended but most of our branches lack technical staffers. Who will be responsible if diseases like cholera outbreak?” questioned an NWSC staff member.

NWSC is holding talks with its management board to appoint technical staffers on the vacant posts.

Source: Razen Manandhar, The Himalayan Times / NGO Forum, 04 June 2008

Nepal: Invitation for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) – Market Oriented Short Term (MOST) Plumber Training

The Skills for Employment Project (The Project) supported by the Government of Nepal and Asian Development Bank, invites interested National Technical Training Providers (TTPs) to submit Expression of Interest for Package No. TTP-16/08: To conduct urban based Market Oriented Short Term (MOST) Plumber training.

The training will be of three months (390 hours) and provided to 600 interested individuals in three cycles in year 2008/09. Each cycle will run in five different places and will have 10 groups with 20 participants in each group. The maximum available budget is NRs 11.932 million (about $ 186,438) including stipend, skill testing fee and taxes.

Deadline: 23 June 2008

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