Source South Asia

Latest issue of Source South Asia

Latest issue: Source South Asia 2009, Issue 17 (26 May 09)

Quotes

'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

Muslim Khan, spokesman, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

They [foreigners] come and tell us how to make latrines in mosques and homes. I’m sure we can do it ourselves.

Afghanistan: UNICEF and Red Cross hygiene promotion activities

Both UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) actively promote safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices in Afghanistan. UNICEF sponsors ‘Behaviour Change Committees’ and the ‘Healthy School Initiative’. (ICRC) conducts hygiene promotion sessions in madrasas and hammams.

Afghanistan, Kabul: poor sanitation in makeshift IDP camps

Open defecation, lack of toilets and poor sanitation in makeshift internally displaced persons (IDP) camps throughout Afghanistan are a health threat, aid workers say. Action contre la Faim (ACF) had failed to get government permission to build toilets and water points for a camp in Qambar, Kabul.

Bangladesh: school debate on safe water and sanitation

BRAC is organising a year-long country-wide school debate competition as part of its awareness campaign on safe water, sanitation coverage and hygiene practices among the underprivileged population.

Bangladesh, Dhaka: unusually early outbreak of diarrhoea

A lack of safe drinking water due to increased temperatures and continuous power outages has resulted in an unusually early outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases across Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Bhutan: water shortage problem hits Prime Minister’s home

Even the Prime Minister’s residence has fallen victim to drinking water shortages, attributed to the failure of Bhutan’s rural water supply scheme (RWSS). About 88 per cent of houses in Bhutan are supposed to be covered under the RWSS, but of that only about 36 per cent work without a problem and some 31 per cent are non-functional.

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, New Delhi: water subsidies benefit the rich and not the poor

Slum residents in New Delhi pay more than three times as much for their water from illegal private contractors, than affluent consumers do for their metered supply.

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.

Maldives: Water and Sanitation Authority abolished

President Mohamed Nasheed has abolished the Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority and the Environment Research Centre and transferred all activities to the newly established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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.

Nepal, Karnali: no toilet, no job

Staff of a number of organisations in Dolpa, Karnali Zone, western Nepal will lose their job if they do not construct toilets in their houses by the end of this fiscal year in mid-July 2009.

Pakistan, Islamabad: poor management is cause of water shortages, experts claim

Experts predict that the city’s water shortage problem is going to worsen, not for want of water but due to poor management. They ask why the responsible agency, the Capital Development Authority, is not taking action to conserve water and plug leakages

Pakistan: umbrella programme on water, sanitation and hygiene planned

The Ministry of Environment, with UNICEF support, is developing a proposal for a 5-year, US$ 31 million, umbrella programme on water, sanitation and hygiene.

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.

Ghana: World Bank invites civil society to monitor its water and sanitation projects

The World Bank will provide up to US$ 1.2 billion in interest-free loans to Ghana over the next three years, and has launched a landmark initiative that challenges civil society organizations to help deepen accountability by monitoring the implementation of Bank-funded projects in the country.

Cambodia: floating toilets for floating communities

Lien Aid, a Singapore-based non-governmental organization is stepping up its work in Cambodia, in particular on the floating toilets of the "River of life" project" for the floating communities on the Tonle Sap lake.

Water shortages: political upheaval and economic stagnation loom, UN report warns

Demand for water is increasing due to population growth and mobility, rising living standards, changes in food consumption, and increased energy production, especially biofuels. These are among the conclusions of the 3rd United Nations World Water Development Report, released in March 2009. The latest edition emphasizes the role of water in development and economic growth.

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.

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.

Expression of Interest for Core Consultants for Sanitation, Hygiene and Wastewater Support Services, World Bank

The World Bank Sanitation, Hygiene and Wastewater Support Services Team seeks expert individual consultants for inclusion on the “core team” of sanitation, hygiene and wastewater expert consultants. These consultants would provide advice and fill short term consultancies as needed.

Apply before Sunday 31 May 2009

Short-term consultants for Sanitation, Hygiene and Wastewater Support Services roster, World Bank and WSP

The World Bank Sanitation and Hygiene Support Services Team and the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) seek expert individual consultants for short term assignments as they arise in sanitation, hygiene, and wastewater around the world.

Apply before Sunday 31 May 2009

WatSan Projects Manager (Bdk), Medair, Afghanistan

Duty station: Badahkshan, Afghanistan. Starting date: July 2009 or soon after. Contract duration: minimum 1 year, fulltime.

Apply before Sunday 31 May 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

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.

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.

Sanitation improvement: social constraints in the tea gardens of Sylhet, Bangladesh

A study was conducted at Lakkatura and Ali Bahar Tea Estates to assess the deteriorated sanitation conditions of workers there and to propose what was needed to improve these conditions.

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.

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.

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.

Carbon credits: potential source of funding for wastewater treatment projects

Recovering methane from wastewater treatment plants to generate power not only saves energy costs. It also helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which offers operators in developing countries an opportunity to sell carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Freshwater under threat : South Asia

This report assesses the vulnerability, in terms of resource stresses, development pressures and ecological insecurity, of three major river basins in South Asia: Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Helmand and Indus.

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.