Source Weekly 2009, 06

Published - 02 Jun 09

International

USA: Water for the World Act aims to provide 100 million people with safe water and sanitation by 2015

On 22 April 2009, Earth Day, Members of the US House of Representatives, Earl Blumenauer and Donald Payne introduced the 2009 Water for the World Act. The bill sets a goal of providing 100 million of the world’s poorest with sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015.

Cholera: vaccination or improved sanitation?

With a new, cheaper anti-cholera vaccine about to be released, the debate continues on whether it is better to control the disease through vaccination or by improving sanitation practices.

Diarrhoea: reports claim that inadequate response is risking millions of children's lives

Reports published by two major aid agencies claim that inadequate responses to diarrhoea outbreaks by governments and the international community are placing the lives of million of children at risk.

'Pani Ba' (the water man) Balaram Karki, Nepal

I feel donating drinking water is better than blood donation and eye donation. Therefore, I started to distribute water free of cost

Madagascar: education hampered by lack of clean water

Lack of hygiene and sanitation are major problems in schools in Madagascar, where most have no access to running water. Many school children fall sick, cannot attend classes and therefore perform badly.

Senegal, Dakar: slum-dwellers use dangerous garbage to keep water at bay

People living in the Médina Gounass neighborhood of Guédiawaye, a slum on the outskirts of Dakar, are buying up garbage to protect their homes from flooding. The garbage is cheap but dangerous, harbouring disease and often concealing deep pools in which children can drown.

Uganda, Kampala: public toilets suffer from lack of water and maintenance

Public toilets in the Ugandan capital Kampala are dirty and in a bad state of repair. Toilet workers faced with unstable water supplies and ignorance among users do their best to keep them clean and in working order.

Uganda: toilet emptying presents investment opportunities

Insufficient capacity to dispose of human faeces in Kampala and other urban areas in Uganda is presenting opportunities for investors. A recently signed memorandum of understanding aims to support private toilet emptiers.

Jordan: National Water Strategy 2008-2022 given Royal approval

King Abdullah of Jordan has given the go-ahead to his country's new water strategy, which will entail the completion of a series of megaprojects to meet Jordan's water needs. The country currently produces 145 cubic metres of water per capita annually, some way below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic metres per capita.

Palestine: Friends of the Earth call for 'failed' Joint Water Committee to be replaced

EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) has called on the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to replace the Joint Water Committee. A recent World Bank report claims that the JWC has failed the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis.

India, Kerala: government crack down on illegal sand mining

The Kerala State government is planning to amend legislation so that it can impose more severe punitive measures against illegal sand-miners. Indiscriminate river sand mining has resulted in a sharp fall in groundwater tables and acute drinking water shortages in several parts of Kerala.

India: Supreme Court issues notices to address manual scavenging

The Supreme Court has sent notices to the Delhi government and to district magistrates in over 25 districts in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan about their failure to implement a central law against manual scavenging.

Nepal: “illegal” water trading common practice in rural areas

Drinking water sources located on public lands are being purchased and sold illegally for millions of rupees after old sources have dried up.

Sri Lanka: water and sanitation critically needed for country’s war-affected

The end of Sri Lanka's long civil war has left nearly 290,000 internally displayed persons (IDPs) stranded in camps, who are in dire need of food, water, sanitation and medical attention. Christian Aid predicts an imminent disease outbreak if the problem of overcrowding and sanitation is not tackled.

Peru: sanitation – two out of three installations not used

Only one in three sanitation installations in Peru are actually used. Alternative Pro-poor Sanitation Solutions in Peru, a programme supported by the Fondation Ensemble and the Water and Sanitation Programme, is trying to change this by acting simultaneously on supply and demand.

Guatemala: Global Water and Peace Corps collaborate in Healthy Schools Program

International NGO Global Water has joined forces with the US-based Peace Corps to educate children in Guatemala about the importance of proper hygiene. In the Healthy Schools Program, Global Water provides the funding for the 'hardware' while the Peace Corps volunteers supply the education.

Nicaragua: environmental committee debating water decentralisation

The environmental and natural resources committee of the Nicaraguan congress has started debating a bill aimed at giving communal potable water and sewerage committees (CAPS) legal authority to manage financing from national and international entities for maintenance and improvement of potable water systems.

PepsiCo: multinational adopts policy respecting human right to water

Soft drinks manufacturer PepsiCo has bowed to shareholder pressure to become the first publicly traded multinational corporation to create a policy in support of the human right to water.

Award: Watershed Organisation Trust wins Kyoto World Water Grand prize 2009

The Kyoto World Water Grand Prize 2009 was awarded to the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) from India.

Dubai Cares and Gates Foundation: joining forces to improve child health and education

On 19 April 2009 the UAE based charitable organisation Dubai Cares and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation to collaborate on new projects to improve children’s health and education in the developing world.

Ned Breslin: new CEO of Water for People

Water for People has appointed Ned Breslin as its Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Mr. Breslin joined Water For People in January 2006 as the Director of International Programs and has been Acting CEO for the past eight months.

Jackie Sims and Jamie Bartram: leave WHO Water Sanitation and Health (WSH)

Jackie Sims and Jamie Bartram have left their positions in the WHO Water Sanitation and Health (WSH) programme.

Yuyun Ismawati: Indonesian environmental engineer wins 2009 Goldman Environment Prize

Indonesian Yuyun Ismawati has been awarded the 2009 Goldman Environment Prize for her work in the poorest communities of Bali. The environmental engineer runs an organisation that aims to improve sanitation and reduce environmental hazards.

André Olschewsk: water expert joins Skat

André Olschewski is the new Water, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning Specialist at Skat (Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development).

WASH Specialist, UNICEF, Ethiopia

UNICEF is looking for a WASH Specialist, L-3 to be based in its its office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The specialist will be responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of assigned programmes and projects within the WASH sector.

Apply before Friday 05 June 2009

WASH Specialist, UNICEF, Afghanistan

UNICEF is looking for a WASH Specialist, L-3 to be based in its its office in Kabul, Afghanistan. The specialist will be responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of assigned programmes and projects within the WASH sector.

Apply before Tuesday 09 June 2009

Senior Emergency Specialist (WES), UNICEF, Thailand

UNICEF is looking for a Senior Emergency Specialist (WES), L-5 to be based in its Bangkok Office, Thailand. The specialist's responsibilities will incude the implementation and management of initiatives, strategies and activities in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in emergencies.

Apply before Tuesday 09 June 2009

WASH Specialist, UNICEF Somalia Support Centre, Nairobi Kenya

UNICEF is looking for a WASH Specialist, L-3 to be based in its UNICEF Somalia Support Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The specialist will be responsible for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of systems aiming at enhanced governance of the WASH institutions.

Apply before Tuesday 09 June 2009

Project Director, Urban Watsan Project, International Rescue Committee, Kenya

The International Rescue Committee is looking for a Project Director to start up and oversee its urban WASH programs in Kenya in response to a USAID APS for improving the water supply and sanitation for Africa’s urban poor.

Apply before Tuesday 30 June 2009

Health impact: estimating the effects of poor reliability of drinking water interventions in developing countries

Recent evidence suggests that many improved drinking water supplies suffer from poor reliability. This study investigates what impact poor reliability may have on achieving health improvement targets.

Cost-benefit analysis: comparisons of investments in improved water supply and cholera vaccination programmes

Researchers have, for the first time, conducted a cost–benefit comparison of improved water supply investments and cholera vaccination programmes.. Generally speaking, a combination of water supply intervention and targeted vaccination proved most cost-effective. However, when budgets are limited and when working in crowded slums, vaccination alone may be more practical.

Performance assessment: urban water supply and sanitation in Gujarat and Maharashtra, India

CEPT University has received a US$ 9.84 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a Performance Assessment System (PAS) for urban water and sanitation services in 400 urban areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra states in India.

Hygiene promotion: lessons from Save the Children’s programme in Malawi

Save the Children has been running School Health and Nutrition (SHN) programmes in Malawi since 1998. When the programmes started, only 42% of schools had access to clean water and none had hand-washing facilities. It is now phasing out the programmes, passing over responsibility to the government.

Hygiene promotion: lessons from Save the Children's Bangladesh programme

Despite the achievements of a Save the Children’s programme in Bangladesh to promote school and household hygiene, a number of challenges were encountered.

Nanotechnology: can it help to provide clean water?

On 7 May 2009, SciDev.Net launched a spotlight to address the question of whether nanotechnology can provide solutions to water treatment in the developing world and improve access to safe drinking water.

Micro Mapper: participatory tool for mapping poverty and (water) resources

Micro Mapper is a software tool, which provides an interface for village information and planning in India. Dr. Megha Phansalkar has used a Marathi local language version of Micro Mapper to collect water-related information of two villages in Maharashtra.

USAID grant: African Urban Poor-Improved Water Supply and Sanitation Program

USAID anticipates awarding grants of between US$ 1.5 million and US$ 4.5 million under its African Urban Poor-Improved Water Supply and Sanitation Program (AUP-IWS) for projects in the natural resources category.

Apply before Monday 08 February 2010

India: biggest recipient of water and sanitation aid

Despite New Delhi's self-reliant public stance, India receives almost twice as much development assistance for water and sanitation as any other country, according to OECD data for 2006-7.

Decentralized local governance : perspectives and experiences

This book examines diverse perspectives of decentralized governance, the definition and implications of the concept, its genesis and growth in developed and developing countries, various forms of decentralization and the latest trends in the context of LPG (Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization) and changing role of governments.

Freshwater under threat : South Asia

This report is one of the primary outputs of the Vulnerability Assessment of Freshwater Resources to Environmental Change project. Collectively, the assessed basins (Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Basin, Helmand River Basin, Indus River Basin) provide South Asia with a variety of water related challenges.

NGO partnerships and capacity development in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector

This report presents the results of research commissioned by the Adaptation and Cleaner Development Thematic Group within AusAID. The scope of the research covers partnerships with non-government organisations (NGOs) and effective ways to support capacity development including engagement with local government and utilities.

Practitioner notes (P-Notes) series

Five recent additions to the Practitioner Notes (P-Notes) series, published since June 2008 by the Water Sector Board of the Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank Group. P-Notes are a synopsis of larger World Bank documents in the water sector reporting key findings and messages.

Sustainability and equity aspects of total sanitation programmes

This report is a synthesis of three individual country studies on Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) activities in WaterAid programmes in Bangladesh, Nepal and Nigeria in 2008-2009. The studies examined whether CLTS had led to sustainable sanitation behaviour change.

Water and sanitation monitoring platform

The water and sanitation monitoring platform (WSMP) is the name of an ACP-EU Water facility-funded project which is being implemented in Ghana, Mozambique and Nigeria. The platforms in these countries have the role of generating and disseminating sector specific data and information.