WASH News South Asia
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
India: govt plans to tackle groundwater over-exploitation
18 Jul 11
The government is planning to regulate over-extraction of groundwater in agriculture and industry which is seriously affecting drinking water supply in rural India, new Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said. “80 per cent of drinking water supply schemes of rural …Continue reading →
“Sanitation is a single most important need in India today”, says new minister
18 Jul 11
India’s new rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has also taken charge of the newly-created Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Will the former environmental crusader transform into a sanitation crusader? The first signals are encouraging. In a cabinet reshuffle the new ministry …Continue reading →
Nepal, Mid-Western Region: sanitation card system introduced
18 Jul 11
Villagers in Salkot, western Surkhet, have to produce a “sanitation card” when applying for services from the Village Development Committee (VDC). The “sanitation card” system was introduced in Salkot in mid April 2011 when it was declared an open defecation …Continue reading →
Nepal, Mid-Western Region: no scholarship without a toilet
06 Jul 11
Another example of how coercion is used in sanitation programmes comes from Radhapur village, Banke district in Nepal’s Mid-western Region. The Village Development Committee (VDC) of Radhapur prevents people without toilets “from getting recommendations for citizenship, land certificates and other …Continue reading →
Bangladesh: government’s sanitation claim trashed
10 Jun 11
The finance minister’s claim that 90.6 percent families in Bangladesh are using sanitary latrines has been dismissed by experts. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Report 2010) data shows the sanitary latrine coverage in Bangladesh is only …Continue reading →
India, Uttarakhand: Rotary to provide clean drinking water facilities in Mussoorie schools
05 Jun 11
The Rotary Club will spend 5.5 million Rupees (US$ 121,000) to provide clean drinking water and proper sanitation in schools in Mussoorie, said Rotary District 3080 Governor Madhukar Malhotra. DG Malhotra was attending a programme on the Sanitation and Drinking …Continue reading →
India, Chennai: one third of residents rely on bottled water
27 Apr 11
Despite a significant increase in public water supply, one million families in Chennai, about a third of the city’s population, rely on sachets, PET bottles and cans of water for daily consumption. Sales of packaged water continue to soar in …Continue reading →
Bhutan, Thimphu: interim water project tackles water shortages
27 Apr 11
An interim water supply project will hopefully provide relief to residents in south and north Thimphu city who have been going without water for almost four days a week. Authorities are blaming an unprecedented construction boom and the increasing population …Continue reading →
India, Nepal: poor sanitation in jails
27 Apr 11
Prisoners in Orissa state, India and in Sunsari District, eastern Nepal, are being deprived of proper sanitation and safe drinking paper, according to local newspaper reports. India, Orissa At a meeting in April 2011 on jail administration, Orissa’s Chief Minister …Continue reading →
India, Mumbai: tribals up in arms against five key water supply projects
27 Apr 11
More than five projects aiming to augment water supply for the growing Mumbai metropolitan region are facing opposition from locals and the tribal population in rural areas. They are demanding that they get water first before going ahead with the …Continue reading →
