WASH News South Asia
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
India, Tamil Nadu: promoting menstrual hygiene in the slums
19 Jul 10
Women of slums in the city [of Tiruchi] are awakening to the significance of personal hygiene, thanks to the efforts of three women from different self help groups advocating the use of sanitary napkins for better menstrual health. Women from around ten slums [...] have switched over to sanitary napkins, after being enlightened on its [...]
India: plan to abolish scavenging [again]
19 Jul 10
The [Indian government] has appointed an expert committee to achieve the “impossible task” of abolishing manual scavenging in the country after failing to meet the deadline thrice. The social justice ministry, which has vowed to banish the “worst violation of human rights” several times, would be in charge of the committee along with the labour [...]
Sri Lanka, Hambantota: Korea assists water project
19 Jul 10
The Water Supply and Drainage Ministry will launch a new water supply scheme at Hambantota district with the assistance of the Korean Government, Media Coordinator to Water Supply and Drainage Minister Lalith Rohana Liyanage said. According to Liyanage, the project to be launched soon on the direction of Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena [...]
Nepal, Kathmandu: ragpickers earning US$ 275 a month
16 Jul 10
Ragpickers in Kathamandu earn more than top civil servants (gazetted first class officers) in Nepal, according to study by the Centre for Integral Urban Development (CIUD). Presenting a study report about the scavengers conducted in 20 places of Kathmandu Metropolitan and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, the CIUD said the professional pickers make more than Rs. 21,000 [...]
India, Uttar Pradesh: sense and sanitation – a model village in the Total Sanitation Campaign
15 Jul 10
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. In 2006, the village of Shahpur Jot Yusuf (2,300 inhabitants) in Bahraich district received a President’s Award for achieving 100% sanitation. The campaign and motivation techniques were replicated in 16 [...]
Nepal: spending a penny – schools, female toilets and increased GDP
15 Jul 10
Like many 15-year olds girls, Sabina Roka used to get embarrassed in front of the boys in her class, though Sabina’s worries were not about spots and trainers. Sabina goes to Simle School in Nepal and until recently she had to use the boys’ toilets because there were no girls-only facilities. This was not only [...]
Nepal: National Sanitation Week
15 Jul 10
Within three years, Nepal has to upgrade sanitation facilities by 15 per cent to achieve its three years interim plan 2010-11. The interim plan has targeted providing sanitation facilities to 65 per cent of the country’s population by the end of three years. At present, around 49.2 per cent Nepali population have access to sanitation [...]
India, Karnataka: local politician stages “sit in” to get toilets built
15 Jul 10
A District Councillor staged a “dharna” (sit in) to get villagers to construct toilets in their homes. Kurubarahatty, a village with a population of 5,000 on the outskirts of Chitradurga in Karnataka, has been selected for the ‘Nirmala Grama Pursakar’ rural sanitation scheme. Zilla Panchayat (district) officials visited the village on several occasions to convince [...]
South Asia: is universal WASH access in reach?
15 Jul 10
Communications Director for Water Advocates John Sauer reports on a three-week field trip to Bangladesh and West Bengal visiting WASH field projects. Five to ten years ago many villagers did not have safe drinking water or a sanitary latrine — the situation on the ground has improved. In Bangladesh, deaths caused by diarrhea have decreased [...]
India, Hyderabad: separate tariff for only sewerage connections, illegal water connections to be regularised
15 Jul 10
For the first time, some 4,000 premises in Hyderabad will have to start paying monthly sewerage connections charges. They include halls, malls, hotels and office complexes that are connected to the city’s sewerage system, but get water from tankers. Sewerage costs are paid through a 35 per cent surcharge on water supply tariffs. As many [...]
