Source South Asia 2009, Issue 14

Published - 23 Jan 09

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: piped water in short supply

Many people in Afghanistan still do not have access to safe drinking water, despite a national development drive since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Only about 28% of urban homes have access to piped water and the percentage is much lower in rural areas. Many more people have access to water from wells and hand pumps, but this is often contaminated.

Bangladesh: Election promises on water and sanitation

Prior to the December 2008 elections in Bangladesh, won by the Awami League-led grand alliance, Tareq Salahuddin reviewed what the main parties had to say about water and sanitation in their manifestos.

Bangladesh: Caritas helps improve sanitation and hygiene in flood-prone areas

Caritas, the social-service organisation of the Bangladesh Catholic Church, has built new homes and installed latrines in flood-prone communities in Bangladesh. It has also trained local people to promote good sanitation and hygiene in the communities.

India: national survey shows that 70% of schools in seven states have no toilets

A national survey in India has revealed that 70% of elementary schools in seven states are without toilet facilities, while 20% of schools in over 10 states have no drinking water.

India, Maharashtra: drastic measures to make people use toilets

The administration in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra has resorted to drastic measures to force people to install toilets in their homes. Civil servants who fail to comply will lose their house-rent allowance, while members of the public may be refused government loans or even land-ownership documents.

India, Andhra Pradesh: lowest number of working toilets

The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has the lowest number of working toilets in the country. This is despite the state heading the list of states constructing the most toilets.

Nepal: 10 schools selected for human value-based water and sanitation education pilot

Ten schools in the Kathmandu Valley have been selected to pilot a new education programme to be run jointly by the Nepalese Ministry of Health, the UN-HABITAT Water for Asian Cities Programme and Environment Conservation Camp (ECCA). If the programme is a success, its methods will gradually be introduced into the school curriculum.

Nepal: celebration of successful cholera mitigation programme

The number of cholera cases in the Kathmandu Valley has been reduced to zero after a month-long mitigation campaign. At a meeting to celebrate the success of the campaign, the government announced a strategy to prevent diseases like cholera and diarrhoea from recurring next year.

Pakistan: changing behaviour to stop open defecation

1,500 activists have been trained in Pakistan, as part of the Community-Led Total Sanitation campaign, to try and persuade people to stop the practice of open defecation. Although the majority of the activists are men, much of their success is due to the women behind them.

Chief, WASH, UNICEF, Pakistan

UNICEF is looking for a Chief, WASH, for its office in Islamabad, Pakistan. The chief will provide technical support to other sectoral programmes and provincial/earthquake recovery districts.

Apply before Monday 09 February 2009

National Workshop cum Brain Storming on Rainwater Harvesting and Reuse through Farm Ponds: Experiences, Issues and Strategies

Hyderabad, India, 21-22 April 2009

Organised by the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) for scientific institutions, government departments, NGOs, civil society organisations and progressive farmers.

Institutional reforms: introducing a customer charter and quality circles in Sri Lanka

To improve customer service, Sri Lanka’s National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has introduced a customer charter and quality circles.

Output-based aid: community water project in Andhra Pradesh, India

A project supported by the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) is piloting a project to provide safe drinking water to 12,500 poor households in 25 villages in three coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Fluoride: mapping of endemic areas and assessment of exposure in Tamil Nadu, India

The prevalence of fluorosis is mainly due to the consumption of fluoride through drinking water. This study aims to estimate fluoride exposure through drinking water of people from different age groups and to identify fluoride endemic areas through mapping.

Local governance: can decentralisation improve rural water supply services in India?

A survey of households in six villages in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, provides evidence that decentralisation in water supply leads to better quality services.

Innovation: Coca-Cola Foundation awards US$ 1 million for innovative water and sanitation solutions

The Coca-Cola Foundation is awarding a total of US$ 1 million to support four innovative projects to improve water resources and sanitation in developing nations. The projects were selected by the Global Water Challenge (GWC) business coalition and Ashoka’s Changemakers through an online competition.

Terafil water filters: clay filters promise clean drinking water in villages in Jharkand, India

Two villages in East Singhbhum district, Jharkand state, India, are to host a pilot project to promote the use of Terafil filters. Terafil filters consist of porous terracotta discs produced from a mixture of red clay, river sand and wood saw dust, without using chemicals.

Multitranche financing: how the Indian water sector is using ADB’s new financing products

India has increased its loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the past couple of years, after being introduced to the bank’s new financing modalities, including the multitranche financing facility.

India, Goa: Government to subsidise sewage connections

In an effort to encourage the people of Margao in the Indian state of Goa to connect their septic tanks and soakpits to the local sewage plant, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has announced that the government will subsidise the connections.

Conflict mediation in the water and sanitation sector

This thematic overview paper explores current thinking about conflict management in the water and sanitation sector and is meant for individuals who want to understand more about the way to analyse, understand and help to manage conflicts.

Appropriate technology for water and sanitation: a business development toolkit

This toolkit explains the principles of doing business in poverty-stricken areas, offers a step-by-step business development approach and provides practical tools, tips and background information.

Community-Led Total Sanitation

This web site aims to be the global hub for CLTS. It contains practical information about the approach, information on CLTS in different countries, research papers, relevant news and events and other materials.

Climate Change and Urban Poverty - Infrastructures of Development

BRAC Centre Auditorium, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 28 January 2009

With widespread agreement that global warming is affecting the lives of the poor, especially those living in cities, knowledge about the processes involved and the policies that would help poor people adapt remains limited. This international conference aims to raise awareness of the need to protect poor people from the harm wrought by global climate change.