Pakistan: National workshop on behavior change for water/sanitation

Water, hygiene related diseases cost Pakistan Rs112b per year

Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has said that around 1.5 million children under five years of age die of diarrhoea every year around the world due to inadequate and unsafe water, poor sanitation and insufficient attention to hygiene behaviours.

He stated this while addressing a workshop on National Behavioural Change Communication Strategy for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Sector organised by Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Unicef and USAID at a local hotel here  [on 29 July 2009].

He said that according to estimate water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases cost Pakistan’s economy about Rs112 billion per year, over Rs300 million, a day in terms of health cost and lost earnings. Out of this the cost associated with diarrhoeal diseases alone is estimated around 55-80 billon rupees per year. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices are also proving the barrier against tackling polio, as the virus has been found to be transmitted through faeces of infected people then passed to others especially in situations of poor hygiene.

He said that lack of adequate drinking water and sanitation facilities in schools is one of the contributing factors for low enrolment and high drop out of girls from schools. Afridi said that recognising the serious impacts of lack of sanitation, the Ministry of Environment prepared the National Sanitation Policy, which provides broad guidelines and recommendations for improving the water and sanitation conditions in Pakistan. In addition, the ministry has also finalised the National Drinking Water Policy, which aims to improve the quality of life through ensuring provision of adequate and safe drinking water at an affordable cost and in an equitable, efficient and sustainable manner.

Speaking on the occasion USAID Chief of Party Janet Paz Castillo said that Pakistan has made important progress towards its repeated commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the investments and commitments the country has made to water resources and sanitation are a significant part of that progress — particularly towards Goal 4 to reduce by 2/3 the mortality rate of children under the age of 5.

She said that behaviour change is a process that requires a deep understanding of the barriers to change. Carefully planned and targeted approaches are required to move people from being unaware to understanding, then approving of and adopting behaviours that benefit themselves and the people around them and to whom they are responsible. She said that USAID is reaching nearly 30 million Pakistanis through the behaviour change communication strategy of the Pakistan Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project.

Speaking on the occasion, Officer-in-Charge UNICEF Pakistan Luc Chauvin said that 80 per cent of all diseases are attributable to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. The major diseases include diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis-A&E, trachoma, intestinal worms and others. He said that in Pakistan, diarrhoea is responsible for 11 per cent of under-five deaths. He said that the water and sanitation related diseases could be considerably reduced by adopting simple positive behaviours such as hand washing with soap at critical times, proper handling and storage of water, use of latrine for defecation, food protection and improving domestic hygiene. “Hand washing with soap before handling food and after defecation, for instance, could reduce the diarrhoeal related deaths among children by half and protect the health of many more,” he said.

Source: The News, 30 Jul 2009

Nepal, Kathmandu: lack of public toilets big problem for communters

Besides the public transport mayhem, the shortage of public rest rooms has become the single biggest problem for commuters in the capital Kathmandu.

Geeta Gautam, a first year student of Green Tara College of Health Science, usually avoids drinking water before leaving the house. The reason? Finding an appropriate public rest room to empty her bladder is next to impossible. “Until it starts to get into my head, I don’t go to the public rest room,” says Gautam. But when she does, she faces the inevitable unpleasant smell and conditions of the rest room, often leaving her nauseated.

A street vendor begging anonymity, reports, “How can a person like me, who has to save every single penny to run my household, pay Rs. 3 just to pee! Given no other option, he does his business behind the bushes or discreetly in an alley. In such, drinking water never comes to mind unless he is dehydrated.

Cutting back on water intake or holding back on urination because there are no clean and affordable public toilets nearby, can in both cases cause health problems, like kidney failure and urinary tract infections, respectively.

There are only 33 public rest rooms (including those in business complexes such as Bishal Bazaar) to cater to the Kathmandu Valley’s 3,000,000-strong population. Even these latrines contain no facilities for children and physically-challenged. Two restrooms in Kuleshwor and Boudha are out of order, while places such as Durbar Marg and Thamel, two of Kathmandu’s biggest tourist hubs, have no public restrooms at all.

[...] The Kathmandu Muncipal Council (KMC) is not entirely to blame. ‘As there are no free spaces available in busy areas such as Putalisadak, building restrooms is impossible. To make such places more people-friendly we are in the pipeline to install mobile restrooms,” says Chief of Environment Management Department at KMC Rabin Man Shrestha.

[...] A recent study conducted by the Green Youth Network, an informal network of environmental science students, on eleven different public restrooms (excluding mall and mobile restrooms), show 90% of public rest rooms operated under the KMC are cleaned three times a day. The general public consistently lists “no proper sanitation measures used in the public lavatory” among its top concerns.
But, according to research, 18% of public rest rooms in the Valley do not have a water supply and 55% use tainted water. Only 45% provide soap.

[...] Beside the low priority given by the government to public rest rooms, the public plays its part in adding to deteriorating conditions of such common property. Complaints on how irresponsible the public is when it comes to public rest rooms come from operators and caretakers. Users not paying the charge, dumping rubbish in the pans, thereby blocking toilet function, and spitting wherever they like tops their list of grievances.

The same research shows that the number of men who visit public rest rooms is higher than women. An average of 12-38 women visit the public lavatory per day compared with 45-140 men. The reason for this may be the lack of women-friendly rest rooms in the Valley. Male and female rest rooms usually have the same entrance, doors have holes and lack proper ventilation.

A busiest public rest room in Ratnapark has several non-functioning doors in the ladies’ rest rooms and also lack proper flush systems. Ajay Deuja, a money collector in this rest room wears a facemask to avoid the foul smell. “The rest room is much cleaner than it is used to be couple of years back,” says Deuja.
To ensure proper function and sanitation management, the KMC sends staff to public rest rooms for thorough examinations, according to Rabin Man Shrestha. Some rest rooms are also leased to private sectors or individuals as it has been found that leased public latrines are better managed in terms of sanitation and hygiene. “A public restroom is much cleaner in places like the one in Ratnapark, which has other services such as hair-cutting salons and juice shops,” says Shrestha.

Rest rooms in some shopping centers, such as Kathmandu Mall, are a haven for shoppers as they are comparatively cleaner and women-friendly. The newest addition is the mobile rest room which has people thronging in it and is currently installed in Basantapur Durbar Square. But there have been complaints of its odd location.

In addition to the above complaints is the high charge to use the public rest rooms. Public rest rooms charge Rs. 3 to urinate and Rs. 5 to excrete. However, Rabin Man Shrestha claims the situation to be different. “The official rate for public comfort rooms is Rs. 2 and Rs. 3 respectively, according to the nature of use,” adds Shrestha. “Recently a warning notice has been circulated to one of the rest rooms near Ratnapark which allegedly charged more than the actual rate.”

Source: Republica / NGO Forum, 26 Jun 2009

Nepal, Dailekh: toilets replace ‘Chhaupadi’ (menstruation) sheds

Residents in Sihasain of Dailekh are busy constructing toilets by destroying the cowsheds used by menstruating women following the tradition of ‘Chhaupadi’. Residents of Sihasain VDC-2 have destroyed 45 such cowsheds and replaced them with toilets.

As per the tradition, the women in Dailekh have been compelled to stay in cowsheds for eight days during menstruation eating only plain ‘roti’.

The Rural Water Resource Management Project supported has helped the villagers construct toilets, taps and juthelnas (place for cleaning dishes and utensils) in all nine wards of the remote Sihasain VDC. .

Source: Naya Patrika / NGO Forum, 26 Jun 2009

Nepal, Lalitpur: three communities declared as Safe Water Zone

On the occasion of World Environment Day 2009, three communities – Chhusika, Chochen and Lonhala of Lalitpur district— were declared as the Safe Water Zones for the first time in Nepal under the “Partnership for Safe Water” campaign. Waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea were common in these communities in the past years. After the launching of “Partnership for Safe Water” campaign, public awareness on safe drinking water has been found remarkably increased in these communities. Nowadays, every household in the community practices household drinking water disinfection techniques.

Partnership for Safe Water – a unique private public partnership has been initiated by Government of Nepal, UN HABITAT, Bottlers’ Nepal, Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) and Urban Environment Management Society [and sponsored by Coca-Cola] to reduce water borne diseases through the promotion of simple household water treatment options.

According to District Public Health Office, Lalitpur; there were 297 cholera cases identified in different communities during last monsoon. Therefore, “Partnership for Safe Water” Campaign initiated its activities in the communities of Lalitpur, which widely disseminated the information of safe drinking water at community level in Lalitpur and promoted simple household water treatment options such as boiling, filtration, chlorination and SODIS.

[...] The local women of Lonhala Community exhibited simple household drinking water disinfection technologies including boiling, filtration, chlorination and SODIS on the roadside of their community to disseminate the information in other communities.

An Inter-School Art Competition on the theme “Waterborne Diseases and its preventive measures” had also been organized on the same occasion.

Source: GUTHI, Kantipur; Nepal Samacharpatra / NGO Forum, 07 Jun 2009

UN-HABITAT has published an update on their web site about their collaboration with Coca-Cola on 22 July 2009

Coca-Cola UN-HABITAT Mission brochure

Nepal: hygiene campaign sets up 100 booths in slum areas

As the number of patients suffering from water-borne diseases rises with the onset of monsoon season, concerned bodies and organisations have begun conducting awareness programmes related to personal hygiene and sanitation.

NGO, Guthi, launched a safe water and hygiene campaign to make people aware about pure drinking water, hygienic food behaviour, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation. Guthii would set up around 100 booths in Kathmandu and Lalitpur slum areas and places where there is a considerable number of squatters. The campaign was launched on May 28, 2009, and would remain in operation for more than two months when cases of waterborne diseases start declining.

Guthi was conducting community-based programmes and organizing door-to-door campaigns [in collaboration with] Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), NGO Forum for Urban Water & Sanitation, ENPHO, UN-HABITAT, UNICEF and other concerned bodies. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City had promised to support the project.

[The] Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, under Department of Health Service [...] were publishing leaflets and posters for making people aware about [water-related] diseases [and were] using radio, TV and newspapers to spread awareness [as well].

Senior public health officer Pranay Kumar Upadhaya said number of cases of waterborne diseases could be brought down by as much as 80 per cent if people living in slums and the squatter population improve sanitation and eating habits.

Source: The Himalayan Times / NGO Forum, 03 June 2009

Nepal: Bottlers Nepal, UN-HABITAT joins hands for rainwater harvesting

UN-HABITAT Water for Asian Cities programme and Bottlers Nepal Limited are set to install rainwater harvesting system in historical ponds located in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts. The bid is believed to recharge sinking water aquifer caused by over-extraction of groundwater and climate change.

The two parties signed an agreement on June 5, 2009, to work together on rainwater harvesting [with] Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City (LSMC) and Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board and [technical assistance from] the Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD).

Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor, UN-HABITAT Water for Asian Cities Programme, South Asia said [...] the initiative would conserve 40,000 kiloliters of rain water, besides encouraging communities to conserve water and protect its traditional sources.

Source: The Himalayan Times / NGO Forum, 07 Jun 2009

Nepal, Kailali: taps run dry two years after construction

The taps constructed by Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) in Khairala, a remote VDC of Kailali, ran dry two years after their construction. NEWAH constructed 16 taps in Khairala VDC-4 in 2007.

“I do not know the exact cost of the project but NEWAH has accounted millions of rupees for the project,” said consumers committee Ganesh Diyakoti adding, “I had informed NEWAH that the source of the millions rupees project is contaminated with lime,” he added. But, the then technician of NEWAH Shiv Bahadur Shrestha told that he will work to disinfect lime.

Gauri Lal Diyakoti told that NEWAH had construct 16 taps and 16 toilets for 337 locals in the village but the taps ran dry due to use of lime-contaminated source for the project. Secretary Diyakoti blamed that the organization made fraud in their name.

Source: Gorkhapatra / NGO Forum, 22 Jun 2009

Another example of irregularities comes from the Kawasoti Drinking Water Project that was completed in 2008 for Rs. 100 million. Three months after the system was handed over to the community, it broke down. Constituent Assembly member from Kawasoti Mahendra Dhwoj Jisi suspected financial irregularity in the project construction.

Source: Kantipur / NGO Forum, 20 May 2009

Nepal, Kathmandu: water utility KUKL under scrutiny amid continuing water shortages

New accusations of irregularites are adding to the frustation of consumers in the Kathmandu Valley, where water company, KUKL, is not able to supply enough drinking water either through pipelines or by tankers.

First, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) was not able to spend its allocated annual budget of Rs. 48 million meant for improving water supply infrastructure, and is now asking the government to reallocate the remaining budget in other areas such as voluntary retirement schemes. Earlier, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), which holds 30 per cent shares in KUKL, had raised questions about the utility’s extravagance on monthly “meeting allowances” and failure in delivery.

“KUKL is a total mess and is serving as a playground for donor agencies,” said Prakash Amatya, executive director of NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation, which has been advocating transparency, accountability and integrity in KUKL. “It is no wonder if most of the budget is spent on consultants’ salaries.”

Second, local residents in Kaldhara found out that KUKL staff had organised an unscheduled water delivery one day at midnight while only informing their relatives about it. Kaldhara residents get water only once every 5 days.

Third, former project staff and other government officials, including Former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, have been accused of unauthorised use of eleven expensive vehicles belonging to the Melamchi Water Supply Project. In some cases government registration plates have been replaced by private ones. Meanwhile the project is spending Rs. 0.3 million a month on hired vehicles for its consultants.

The Kathmandu Valley needs about 280 million litres of water daily but KUKL can only supply 150 million litres in the rainy season and 100 million litres in the dry season. About 200 tankers are needed to supply additional drinking water in the Valley but there are only 160 tankers available. Many private tanker operators, some of whom are suspected of supplying untreated surface water, are filling the gap.

Groundwater sources are also being depleted in the Kathmandu Valley, where groundwater levels are decreasing and handpump wells are drying up. KUKL has reported about a 15% decrease in water production from groundwater sources as well.

KUKL is preparing a two-year pre-Melamchi Drinking Water Project before the completion of the main Asian Development Bank-supported Melamchi Water Supply Project. KUKL has asked the government to allocate the Rs. 520 million in the coming fiscal year for the project.

KUKL is a private-partnership company set up in February 2008 to replace the Nepal Water Supply Corporation as a pre-condition to get funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the major donor for the Melamchi Water Supply Project.

Source: The Kathmandu Post / NGO Forum, 05 Jun 2009 ; Annapurna Post / NGO Forum, 04 Jun 2009 ; Bikash Thapa, Kantipur / NGO Forum, June 26, 2009 ; Dhana Khatiwada, Gorkhapatra / NGO Forum, 27 Jun 2009 ; Mahesh Chaurasiya, Kantipur / NGO Forum, 23 Jun 2009 ; Dinesh Karki, Nagarik / NGO Forum, 25 Jun 2009

Nepal, Surkhet: no toilet, no passport

A remote region of Nepal is hoping to improve local sanitation by asking everyone who applies for a citizenship card or passport whether they have a toilet at home, an official said Thursday.

Authorities in the rural midwestern district of Surkhet say only one in three households there has a toilet, below the national average of 45 percent, while the district headquarters has only one public toilet for 44,000 people.

They say there is a lack of awareness of the health risks related to open defecation, and are hoping the proposed scheme will help to eradicate the practice.

“We decided we have to motivate and put pressure on people to build toilets in their houses,” regional sanitation engineer for Surkhet, Prem Krishna Shrestha, told AFP.

“Of course, we cannot deny them their right to citizenship. The idea of the programme is to make sure that people understand the value of having a toilet in their houses.

“So when someone comes to get a passport or citizenship card, the officials will ask if they have a toilet in their house.”

The proposal comes as Nepal is struggling to deal with a diarrhoea outbreak that has reportedly killed around 150 people in a remote western region.

Disease outbreaks are common during the monsoon, when floods mean water sources can easily become contaminated.

The government has promised to eradicate open defecation by 2017, but Shrestha said it was well behind schedule on the building of new toilets.

“Nepal should be building 320,000 toilets a year and records show only around 100,000 to 125,000 toilets are being built. We have a lot of catching up to do,” he said.

Source: AFP / Straits Times, 23 Jul 2009

India, Karnataka: 72 per cent in rural areas have no access to toilets

As many as 72 per cent of people in rural Karnataka still resort to open defecation, around 63 per cent do not treat their water before drinking and majority of women do not have access to modern hygienic form of sanitary protection are some of the findings of a recent survey conducted by an NGO. This puts into perpective the latest official figure of 63.91 per cent for rural sanitation coverage, published by the Ministry of Finance in the Economic Survey for 2008-09.

Ashwas, a survey on ‘Household Water And Sanitation’, by the NGO Arghyam, released by state Governor H R Bharadwaj [on 20 July 2009] revealed that 72 per cent people had no access to toilets. While 21 per cent had toilets outside the house, only seven per cent had toilets inside, it said.

Covering 17,200 households in 810 villages in 28 districts across the state, the survey was conducted between December 2008 and January 2009.

It said only five per cent of women used sanitary napkin.

Access to water has improved in most parts of the state but a major concern is the status of quality of water. Fluoride contamination above the 1.0 parts per million (ppm) government norm has been found in 60% of the cases across the state with 27 out of 28 surveyed districts registering its presence. Nitrate contamination was found in 20% of the samples. Typically nitrate contamination is from fertilizer runoff and contamination of water supply with human excreta.

A website has been set up for Ashwas, where the full state survey report, District reports, Methodology and questionnaires can be accessed. Status of water in individual gram panchayats can also be queried online. Reports customized for each Gram Panchayat surveyed will be disseminated to all the Gram Panchayats over the next 3 months.

ASHWAS report launch – presentation by Arghyam CEO Sunita Nadhamuni

Source – PTI, 20 Jul 2009 ; India Water Portal Water News, 27 Jul 2009