Source Weekly 2010, 05

Published - 22 Jul 10

International

Right to water and sanitation: historic UN resolution under discussion

A proposal drafted by Bolivia to recognise the right to water and sanitation as a basic universal human right is being discussed at the United Nations. The final text of what has been termed an "historic resolution" is due to be presented to the president of the UN General Assembly by the end of July 2010.

G8: progress on water and sanitation commitments assessed

An accountability report on development aid by G8 countries says that progress towards meeting the water and sanitation targets provides a mixed message. The report says the world is on track to meet the water goal globally, but is dangerously behind in achieving the sanitation goal, with Sub-Saharan Africa making the slowest progress.

Sanitation and Water for All: global partnership formalised, presenting itself in Stockholm

Two years after its launch, a global initiative aiming for sustainable sanitation and drinking water for all, is set to be formalised. Sanitation and Water for All will hold its first Steering Committee meeting at the 2010 World Water Week in Stockholm.

Africa: project to help local governments contribute to water and sanitation MDGs

‘Local Initiatives in Promotion of the Attainment of Water and Sanitation Millennium Development Goals’ is a two year project which aims to help local governments in 15 African countries to reach the MDGs for water and sanitation.

Liberia: water sector faces “deadly” financing gap

Weak capacity, lack of coordination between different ministries and between different donors, and a lack of financing for water and sanitation are the major obstacles to attaining water and sanitation goals, says the Liberia WASH Consortium in a recently-launched report.

Namibia: government moves closer to subsidising water for the poor

A group of experts of Burgert Gildenhuys consultant group has presented findings on possible future subsidisation of water tariffs for poor households, which is almost one third of the population.

Nigeria, Northern Borno: washing hands and using toilets to reduce blindness

Lack of access to clean toilets, scarcity of water, living in close proximity to animals, and poor public health awareness puts 2.3 million people in northern Nigeria’s Borno State at risk of contracting trachoma, a bacterial infection causing blindness.

Egypt: the threat of a water war over the Nile

Nations fight over water, especially when access is threatened. Egypt and Sudan have counted on the abundance of the Nile’s life-giving flow but now upstream nations want to keep more of the abundance for themselves.

Morocco: drinking water facility invested over US$ 422 million in 2009

In 2009 Morocco's drinking water facility (ONEP) invested over US$ 422 million, bringing its rural coverage rate to 89%.

India, Uttar Pradesh: gender empowerment helps sanitation in model village

Shahpur Jot, a small Muslim village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has served as a model for others to achieve total sanitation by empowering women as result of the Total Sanitation Campaign in India.

Nepal: famous comedians star in tele-serial on community-led total sanitation

The famous Nepali comic duo Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharya aka Maha Jodi are starring in ‘Sugandhapur’, a tele-serial with a message motivating people not to defecate in the open.

Philippines: school sanitation sparks ‘Bayanihan’ spirit in small village

The Filipino spirit of communal unity, ‘Bayanihan’, prevented school toilets provided by UNICEF going unused because of a lack of water. Parents contributed money for the purchase of containers of water in each toilet every school day.

Viet Nam: nearly half of US$ 2.77 billion for rural WASH going to hygiene in households and schools

More than US$ 2.77 billion will be allocated for the national target programme on rural water supply and environmental sanitation from 2011 to 2015 to improve locals’ living conditions, according to the Standing Office of the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation. Nearly half of this is earmarked for hygiene in households and schools: US$ 1.32 billion.

Haiti: six months on, Red Cross calls for urgent sanitation solution

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have called on the international community to recognize sanitation as one of the priorities in Haiti’s reconstruction in a report of 8 July 2010.

Trinidad and Tobago: Who cares? WASA’s empty promises

Almost one year after completion, in the middle of a severe drought a US$ 25 million water treatment plant installed at Cumuto remains empty.

Jan Eliasson: joins UN Secretary General’s MDG Advocacy Group

Ambassador Jan Eliasson, has joined a new United Nations MDG Advocacy Group. Mr. Eliasson will have a special focus on Millennium Development Goal 7 on environmental sustainability, which includes water and sanitation.On 23 June 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the establishment of an advocacy group of eminent persons to try to galvanize support worldwide towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their target date of 2015.

Water For People: founder Kenneth J. Miller passes away

Water for People founder Kenneth J. Miller passed away on 17 June 2010

Ryan Hreljac: Duke of Edinburgh award for Canadian teen who founded water charity

The teenage founder of a Canadian water charity received a gold Duke of Edinburgh award from Prince Philip, alongside the Queen. The ceremony took place on 5 July 2010 in Toronto.

Procter & Gamble: new manufacturing facility for PUR packets in Singapore

The Procter & Gamble (P&G) Company will build a new manufacturing facility for its PUR™ Purifier of Water packets in Singapore that is expected to be able to produce more than 200 million packets a year to help provide clean drinking water across the world, the company announced at the Singapore International World Water Week.

(Senior) Programme Officer, Sanitation Specialist, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, The Netherlands

IRC is seeking a Sanitation Specialist to participate in innovative action research, policy analysis, process facilitation and advocacy in the fields of urban and rural sanitation, primarily on projects in South Asia and West Africa.

Apply before Monday 30 August 2010

International Team Leader – Water & Sanitation, GHD, Indonesia

GHD is seeking an individual expert for the position of International Team Leader - Wastewater, Water Supply & Sanitation for their projects in Indonesia

Apply before Monday 30 August 2010

Senior Programme Officer, Monitoring and Learning, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, The Netherlands

IRC is looking for a Senior Programme Officer who will bring together the range of Monitoring and Learning (M&L) methods and experiences used in IRC and is capable of providing leadership in taking this key area further, both internally and externally

Apply before Monday 30 August 2010

Project Officer – Writer/Process Documentalist, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, The Netherlands

IRC is looking for a project officer who will be involved in writing, editing and the adaptation of various IRC materials and publications.

Apply before Monday 16 August 2010

Program Manager, Water for Recovery & Peace (WRAPP), PACT, Sudan

PACT Sudan is looking for a Program Manager who will provide overall management of all components of WRAPP (Juba, Southern Sudan), in collaboration with other WRAPP staff

Apply before Friday 31 December 2010

Regional Manager, Water For People, Africa

The Regional Manager is the most senior Water For People staff member in Africa and ultimately responsible for managing all aspects of Water For People's work in the continent. Currently there are programmes in Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda.

Apply before Friday 06 August 2010

Economic benefits: how valuable are water and sanitation interventions in India?

Researchers have used an improved evaluation method to better calculate economic benefits of a rural water supply and sanitation programme in Maharashtra, India. This was achieved by getting comprehensive pre-intervention baseline data from treatment and control villages, and including the costs of medical bills, lost income and water treatment.

Urban sanitation: Danish-funded research project starting in Ghana

A large Danish-funded sanitation research project focusing on townships in Ghana is set to start in January 2011.The Sustainable Sanitation Solutions (SUSA) Ghana Project will examine sanitation preferences and practices, infrastructure and technical barriers, sanitation worker health risks, sanitation business models, and mobile phone technology for monitoring.

Gender: female meter reader raises water revenues in Afghanistan

Hiring a female meter reader in a USAID-funded project in Afghanistan resulted in 75 per cent increase in collected revenue in the first month. In the local cultural context, only a woman can access household meters during times when only other women are at home.

Regulation: pro-poor reform of water and energy supply services

Broad efforts at regulatory reform and increasing energy and water access may, but will not necessarily, help the poor, says an Asian Development Bank policy brief published in April 2010

India, Maharashtra: surcharge on mineral water to pay for rural water supply

Maharashtra state hopes to generate an extra US$ 171 million to improve rural water supply through a one Rupee surcharge on bottled mineral water.

India: government approves increase in unit costs for school toilets

The Indian government has approved a 60-100% increase in unit costs for school and kindergarten toilets being constructed under the Total Sanitation Campaign. The government hopes the revision will speed up construction so that all the rural government schools and kindergartens get sanitation facilities by March 2011.

Call for expression of interest: strategic evaluation of the Water Integrity Network

The strategic evaluation aims to reach conclusions concerning the adequateness of WIN’s strategy and work in an evolving policy environment. The total combined number of local and international consultant days is estimated at 75.

Apply before Tuesday 10 August 2010

Greywater use in the Middle East : technical, social, economic and policy issues

Freshwater scarcity is an environmental fact in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The MENA region is also faced with geopolitical problems that naturally end up affecting natural-resource equity. This book draws together material presented at a conference in Jordan in 2007.

Journal of water, sanitation and hygiene for development

This new peer-reviewed journal plans to publish original contributions including research, analysis, review and commentary and to emphasize issues of concern in developing and middle-income countries and in disadvantaged communities world-wide.

Wastewater irrigation and health : assessing and mitigating risk in low-income countries

This book approaches the serious problem posed by very low coverage or poor performance of wastewater treatment systems in most developing countries.

Insecurity and indignity : women’s experiences in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya

This report is issued as part of Amnesty International’s global Demand Dignity Campaign. The solutions proposed by the government to improve access to essential public services, including sanitation do not fully take into account the specific needs of women and girls in informal settlements.