Source South Asia 2008, issue 11

Published - 11 Nov 08

Quotes

Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lankan Minister for Urban Development and Sacred Area Development

Speaking at the 3rd World Urban Forum in China, Sri Lankan Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says that 'it stretches cruelty' to spend so much on bailing out banks and on war while so many people are unable to meet their basic needs.

Afghanistan: IOM helps provide clean water and sanitation for returnee communities

The International Organization for Migration has signed an agreement with the government of Afghanistan to provide water and sanitation to communities hosting returnees from Pakistan and Iran.

Bangladesh: workshop on water supply and sanitation services

A workshop on 'horizontal learning for strengthening capacities of local government institutions on improving water supply and sanitation services in Bangladesh' was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka on 30 October 2008.

Bangladesh: ADB to increase support for urban development

The Asian Development Bank is to provide an additional US$ 87 million for the improvement of basic services and infrastructure development in urban areas of Bangladesh.

Bhutan: communities clean up to honour new king

Communities in Bhutan have cleaned up their streets to mark the coronation of their new King. The campaign hopes to encourage people to adopt good sanitation practices.

India, West Bengal: arsenic-free water by 2011

The government in the Indian state of West Bengal is aiming to provide arsenic-free drinking water to 69 blocks in nine districts by 2011. The treatment plants are being developed by an Indo-German public-private partnership.

India: Bhopal law-suit on polluted drinking water reinstated

An appeals court in the US has reinstated a case claiming that several thousand people were exposed to polluted drinking water after the Union Carbide disaster in 1984.

India, Haryana: 'revolution' improves sanitation and defeats open defecation

The people of Kurukshetra, in the Indian state of Haryana, have as good as banished open defecation from their communities after a hard-hitting campaign led mainly by women and children.

India, Gujarat: sweepers request permission for mass suicide

Sweepers (manual scavengers) in Gandhinagar have requested the President of India for permission to commit mass suicide. This is the latest move in a campaign by the city's sweepers to draw attention to their miserable living and working conditions.

Nepal: draft of National Urban Water Supply & Sanitation Policy published

The Nepalese government has published a draft of its National Urban Water Supply & Sanitation Policy. It has called for suggestions and comments on the policy from interested individuals and organisations.

Nepal: Supreme Court orders government to tackle arsenic contamination in water

The Nepalese Supreme Court has ordered the government to conduct a public awareness campaign about the dangers of arsenic in drinking water and to take more effective measures to supply arsenic-free water.

Pakistan, NWFP: municipality offers financial reward for defeating open defecation

The municipality of Chitral in northern Pakistan will pay a reward of half a million Pakistani rupees to the first union to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status. This is part of a campaign to improve sanitation across the municipality.

Sri Lanka: 2009 budget announced, with renewed attention to rural development

On 6 November 2008 the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the national budget for 2009. The plans include a renewed focus on rural development and a series of measures to improve water supply.

Ashok Khosla elected president of the IUCN

Indian Ashok Khosla has been elected president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Khosla is a former director of the United Nations Environment Programme and current chairman of Delhi-based Development Alternatives.

New and Emerging Talent Initiative, UNICEF

UNICEF is seeking committed professionals to join the New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI) programme in March 2009.

Apply before Sunday 23 November 2008

Water policy development: swings and roundabouts in Sri Lanka

'In recent decades, policy reforms for water resource management - nationally-demanded but designed by external actors - have generated intense controversy and become both a tool and a victim of national politics,' says Rajindra Ariyabandu in a new ODI working paper.

Household hygiene: is fecal contamination of drinking water linked to household water handling and hygiene practices?

Water-borne illness, primarily caused by fecal contamination of drinking water, is a major health burden in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. This study found that drinking water stored in households after collection showed a significant increase in contamination.

Water quality: risk perception and water purification practices for water-borne parasitic infections in remote Nepal

This study assesses water-borne infection risk perception and water boiling habits in a remote Sankhuwasava region of Nepal. It concludes that there was sufficient risk awareness in the region.

South-South cooperation: World Bank launches new financing facility to encourage sharing of development knowledge

The World Bank has launched a new financing facility to encourage developing countries to share their knowledge on development and poverty reduction.

Philanthropy: ITT and Mercy Corps to provide safe water solutions after natural disasters

The ITT Corporation has announced that it will join forces with Mercy Corps to help provide safe drinking water in the wake of natural disasters. The partnership, worth US$ 10 million over a three-year period, is part of ITT's Watermark programme.

Greywater reuse in rural schools: wisewater management

Greywater - bathroom and non-toilet waste water - can help reduce water stress in arid and semi-arid areas. This manual offers guidelines to minimise the health risk associated with the use of greywater.

Integrated fluorosis mitigation: guidance manual

Fluorosis is endemic in many parts of the world particularly in mid-latitude regions and an endemic public health problem in at least 25 countries. This guidance manual adopts an Integrated Fluorosis Mitigation (IFM) approach to establish health based targets for fluoride in drinking water.

Water Governance Project

The Water Governance Project, which is being implemented by the Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development, New Delhi and funded by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has launched a new web site.

National Water Seminar, India: Challenges of Providing Potable Water to the Islands

Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India , 15 Jan 09 - 16 Jan 09

The National Water Seminar is designed to bring together government, NGOs and people from the grass roots level to examine the complexities of providing potable water in an island environment.