India: Snakes and Ladders game teaches about challenges facing rural schools

Indian NGO CRY – Child Rights and You – has launched an online Snakes and Ladder game to raise awareness about the challenges faced by rural schools. The game includes messages about water and sanitation. A ‘ladder’ will advance you quickly towards your goal – a school that is close to home, or has clean drinking water; a ‘snake’ will hinder your progress – like no separate toilet for girls and boys, or no free government school in your village.

Play Snakes and Ladders online

Source: India Infoline, 25 Nov 2010

India: cabinet approves special plan for Naxal-hit districts

The Union Cabinet has approved a special development plan for 35 districts affected by Naxalites (militants) to address issues like sanitation and drinking water. Under the special plan, each of the districts would get Rs 250 million [US$ 5.5 million] every year for health care, schooling, sanitation and drinking water. The government Planning Commission will monitor the results. A committee, consisting of the District Collector, the Deputy Superintendent of Police and Forest Development Officer, together will village councils, are in charge of implementation. Source: Economic Times, 25 Nov 2010

India, Tamil Nadu: schools get water purifiers for safe drinking water

A Government High School at Alagapuram Periya Pudur in Salem has been given a water purifier under the Education for All (SSA) programme. Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan / The Hindu

Thanks to a government scheme, many primary and high schools in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district now have installed water purifiers. For many village schools, however, the purifiers are of no use because they don’t have a water supply system.

 

The scheme is part of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the government’s ‘Education for All’ Movement, that is being implemented in a majority of 1,721 primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in the district. The allocation for primary schools is Rs. 5,000 [US$ 109], Rs. 12,000 [US$ 262] for middle and Rs. 7,000 [US$ 153] for both high and higher secondary schools were sanctioned. In addition each school gets Rs. 5,000 [US$ 109] per year for maintenance.

While many schools had been prompt in maintaining the water purifiers, a few schools had neither bought nor maintained them properly. A middle school in Kondalampatti had the purifier but did not have the provision for water supply to the school itself.

A school teacher said that the scheme, though laudable, could not be implemented totally in schools in villages since many of them did not have basic amenities such as water supply.

Source: The Hindu, 26 Nov 2010

India: ‘We need a sanitation revolution here’, says adviser to Urban Affairs minister

Hygiene matters: Minister for Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar (second from right) at the workshop on city sanitation, Bangalore. Photo: K. Gopinathan / The Hindu

Speaking at a workshop on the ‘City Sanitation Plan’ in Bangalore, the Adviser to Karnataka state Chief Minister on Urban Affairs A. Ravindra said:

“We need a sanitation revolution in the country. There is a need to create public awareness and use innovative and low-cost technologies for better sanitation”.

Adding to this, at the inauguration if the workshop, the Karnataka state Minister for Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar stated:

“It is unfortunate that we have not made sanitation our priority. This is evident as according to a recent report, there are more mobile users than toilet users in the country. Sanitation does not only mean using toilets; it also includes efficient solid waste management, underground drainage network, and keeping our cities and towns clean”.

Karnataka is looking to rank first in the second round of the National City Rating under the National Urban Sanitation Policy to be announced on 8 December 2010. In the first round in May 2010, Mysore secured the second place, while the eighth, 12th, 15th and 22nd positions went to Bangalore, Mangalore, Mandya and Bidar respectively.

“We must strive to secure the first position next year. We must work towards this end without mixing politics. The election results in Bihar has sent out a strong message. People want elected representatives to solve their problems,” he added. Mr. Suresh Kumar said the Directorate of Urban Development has taken two important initiatives with regard to improving sanitation standards. Under the Nirmala Ganga scheme, all city corporations must take steps to provide free underground drainage and water connections to all the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes families. “Also, to put an end to manual cleaning of manholes, mechanised cleaning has been introduced in all the eight city corporations,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, 26 Nov 2010

Asian Development Bank invests in private equity water infrastructure fund

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is investing up to US$ 20 million for its first-ever investment in a private equity fund solely focused on supporting the development of water-related infrastructure in the region.

ADB’s Board of Directors approved the equity investment in the Amkonzen Asia Water Fund which will invest in water and wastewater assets in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and across Southeast Asia.

[...]

The fund, which will be owned by a subsidiary of the AmInvestment Group with a more than 24-year track record of private equity investment, is targeting investments in municipal, industrial and rural water and wastewater treatment plants, and water rehabilitation. About 70% of its portfolio will be in the PRC, and the rest in Southeast Asia.

The target fund size is US$ 100 million, with an anticipated first closing of $40 million this year. It will inject around US $5 million to US$ 10 million per investment.

It will seek out projects that engage engineering companies with strong proven track records in the sector and a willingness to invest their own equity, helping to generate both strong returns and greater private sector participation. The opportunity for increased private involvement in water has increased over the past 2 years with government finances strained by the global crisis, and the regulatory environment in Asia gradually moving towards full-cost recovery, making such investments more cost-effective.

ADB’s investment will be kept at a level which ensures it does not exceed a 25% stake in the fund, or become the largest stakeholder. The International Finance Corp. (IFC) has also committed to invest up to US$ 20 million. The fund will have a 10-year life, with two 1-year extensions for divestment.

Source: ADB, 17 Nov 2010

China, Shandong Province: Asian Development Bank to help improve dam quality

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping water-scarce Shandong Province to rehabilitate and improve the efficiency of nine ageing dams with a US$ 29.8 million technical assistance loan. The Risk Mitigation and Strengthening of Endangered Reservoirs in Shandong Province Project will “set the standard for efficient, safe and cost-effective reservoir operation and management nationwide”.

“This initiative will reduce the risk of reservoir failure as well as protect lives, property and livelihoods downstream where poverty levels are high. It will also provide more water for agriculture and household use, improve the quality of reservoir releases, preserve water quality and improve groundwater resources,” said Yoshiaki Kobayashi, Water Resources Management Specialist in ADB’s East Asia Department.

About 90% of China’s reservoirs were built between 1958 and 1976 and are in poor condition. Since 2001 China is carrying out a phased rehabilitation programme. In Shandong Province (pop. 94 million) water scarcity and saltwater intrusion into coastal catchments are severe problems.

“ADB’s assistance will give the provincial and local governments access to international expertise in rehabilitation and management, and establishing models which can be replicated throughout the PRC,” Mr. Kobayashi said.

The ADB loan makes up around 33% of the total project cost of almost US$ 90.1 million. The Chinese Government, the Provincial Government of Shandong, and county governments will finance the remainder.

Source: ADB, 22 Nov 2010

India: Shekhar Kapur signs up as ambassador for Grameen water fund

Film director Shekhar Kapur signing MoU with Grameen Creative Lab in the presence of Prof. Muhammad Yunus

Oscar-winning film director Shekhar Kapur has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Grameen Creative Lab to create an investment fund for water-related social businesses in India. Mr Kapur, who is passionate about water-related issues in India and is currently working on his new film “Paani” (“water” in Hindi), will act as ambassador for the fund.

Kapur signed the MOU together with Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Grameen Bank Prof. Muhammad Yunus during the second Global Social Business Summit held in Wolfsburg, Germany, from 4-5 November 2010.

In 2008, the Grameen Bank and Veolia Water set up Grameen-Veolia Water Ltd to supply drinking water to the poorest people of Bangladesh.

Prof. Yunus made an appearance in October 2010 in the US cult-cartoon series The Simpsons.

Source: The Daily Star, 11 Nov 2010 ; Grameen Creative Lab, GSBS 2010 press release

Palu: ADB loans US$ 16 million Water Sector Improvement Program

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$ 16 million for the Water Sector Improvement Program in the Pacific island state of Palau (pop. 20,000). The programme will address regulatory, management, technical and pricing problems that currently result in high non-revenue water losses and undermine cost recovery. It will also help establish the Palau Water and Sewer Corporation, an independent government-owned corporate entity. It is the first loan agreement between ADB and Palau.

The government currently subsidises the bulk of the cost of water and this is placing a heavy burden on its finances. Growing demand from tourism – which accounts for almost half of the country’s GDP – is also putting a strain on water resources, requiring a new strategy to meet an estimated supply gap of around 1.4 million gallons [5.3 million litres] a day by 2020.

The program aims to set benchmark targets for improving bill collections, including cutting non-revenue water losses from current levels of 43% of production to around 25% by fiscal year to September 2015, and progressively increase tariffs to achieve full cost recovery by the same date. Sewerage tariffs will also be introduced for the first time.

So as not to penalize the poor, the first 5,000 gallons [19,000 litres] of water supplied will still be priced below the cost of production to ensure affordability, while the average total household water and sewerage bill will increase by less than 2% of average household income over the 4 years, according to Anthony Gill, Country Specialist for ADB’s Pacific Department.

During the transition to full cost recovery the corporation will post losses, which will be offset by government financial assistance as well as program support to cover the difference between tariff revenue and actual costs. ADB will also provide management and technical skills training to ensure the new agency is professionally managed and operated.

The Ministry of Finance is the executing agency for the program, which is due for completion by September 2014.

Related web site: ADB – Water Sector Improvement Program : Palau (project information document)

Source: ADB, 10 Nov 2010

India: land of many cell phones, fewer toilets

Rafiq Nagar, Mumbai. Every family has a cell phone, but no safe sanitation. Photo: Guy Walder, www.guywalder.com

In the wake of President Obama’s visit to India, AP journalist Ravi Nessman writes that “he will find a country of startlingly uneven development and perplexing disparities, where more people have cell phones than access to a toilet”.

Interestingly, Nessman ends his article by suggesting that the spread of cell phones could empower slum dwellers to demand better sanitation services.

The Mumbai slum of Rafiq Nagar has no clean water for its shacks made of ripped tarp and bamboo. No garbage pickup along the rocky, pocked earth that serves as a road. No power except from haphazard cables strung overhead illegally.

And not a single toilet or latrine for its 10,000 people.

Yet nearly every destitute family in the slum has a cell phone. Some have three.

[...]

It is a country buoyed by a vibrant business world of call centers and software developers, but hamstrung by a bloated, corrupt government that has failed to deliver the barest of services.

Viet Nam: Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola support school water and sanitation projects

Multinationals Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola are separately supporting small-scale water and sanitation projects for schools.

UNICEF and Procter & Gamble collaboration for WASH in primary schools

UNICEF and global consumer product provider Procter & Gamble (P&G) have joined forces to provide water and sanitation facilities in primary schools in Viet Nam and educate children, parents and teachers about hygienic practices. Schools in areas most in need are being selected in Dien Bien, Ninh Thuan, An Giang and Dong Thap provinces. The joint UNICEF-P&G project will run till the end of 2011 and the total investment from P&G is 200,000 US$.

Through its “For a Bright Future” programme, P&G has helped build more than 30 sanitation facilities for schools, benefiting more than 12,000 children.

A recent survey showed that 20 per cent of schools in Viet Nam have no water source. The proportion is lowest among secondary schools (four per cent) and highest among pre-schools (34 per cent). In addition, while 73 per cent of schools have latrines, only 12 per cent of rural schools have hygienic latrines meeting Ministry of Health standards.

Improving sanitation facilities and practises in primary schools is an integral part of UNICEF’s Provincial Child-Friendly Program. P&G’s “For the Brighter Future” program in Viet Nam is part of P&G’s “Live, Learn and Thrive” global corporate cause that focuses on improving lives of children till the age of 13 years.

Source: UNICEF, 04 Oct 2010

Coca Cola inaugurates water supply in secondary school

Coca Cola inaugurated a safe water construction at the Van Binh secondary school, together with other safe water constructions in Thuong Tin district, Hanoi, providing nearly 6,000 pupils and students and 183 families access to safe water.

The constructions include wells, water treatment facilities, water tanks and wash basins, with an investment of over USD 28,500.

They are the final constructions of the project “Safe water for the community” in 2010 by Coca Cola and the Research Center for Family Health and Community Development (CEFACOM).

The project began in 2004. This year, many constructions have successfully been carried out in residential areas and schools in Thu Duc district in Ho Chi Minh City, Lien Chieu district in Danang City and Thuong Tin district in Hanoi.

The project has brought safe water and benefits to over 15,500 students and people

Source: Hanoi Times, 09 Sep 2010