WASH News South Asia
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Nepal: Open defecation in Kathmandu
29 Apr 08
Kathmandu: Many passers-by walking in the city defecate in the open. Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) stated that over 50 per cent passers by defecate on the footpaths despite having the facility of public toilets. “Four years ago, about 1100 people used to use public toilets every day. Number of toilet users have decreased by half [...]
Bangladesh: Nobel laureate Yunus teams up with Veolia Water
15 Apr 08
In Paris, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus unveiled a deal between his pioneering Grameen Bank and French multinational Veolia Water to provide clean water to poor rural communities in Bangladesh.The new company, Grameen-Veolia Water Ltd, will be 50% owned by Veolia Water AMI (Africa, Middle East, India) and 50% by Grameen Healthcare (a [...]
Afghanistan: Too many young children dying of preventable diseases - UNICEF
03 Apr 08
KABUL, 22 January 2008 (IRIN) - About 600 children under five die every day in Afghanistan due to pneumonia, poor nutrition, diarrhoea and other preventable diseases, according to the State of the World’s Children 2008 report released by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 22 January. […]Poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation is [...]
Pakistan, NFWP: arsenic mitigation action plan developed
02 Apr 08
A workshop was held in Peshawar on 31 March 2008, organised by the Local Government Department, UNICEF and the Human Resources Development Society (HRDS), to develop an action plan for arsenic mitigation in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NFWP).The action plan called for proper coordination of all stakeholders, appropriate monitoring and awareness raising on arsenic [...]
Nepal: PM receives 100,000 signatures from sanitation campaign
24 Mar 08
On World Water Day, 22 March 2008, more than 100 thousand signatures collected from 35 districts of the country were handed over Nepal’s Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala calling for increased funding and a national master plan for sanitation.Read more in Sanitation Updates
Nepal: Relatives in the ministry
24 Mar 08
Kathmandu: Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Hisila Yami has appointed her sisters, brother and maoist activists in different agencies under her ministry. Yami has appointed her relatives in Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP), Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC), Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Fund Development Committee, Nepal Engineering Council, [...]
Nepal: ADB will withdraw if Melamchi is delayed
24 Mar 08
Kathmandu: Deputy Director General of the South Asia Department of Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sultan Hafeez Rahman warned that ADB will withdraw its hand from the Melamchi Water Supply Project if the project is further delayed. He expressed satisfaction for the government implementing some important improvement procedures in the recent days to move forward [...]
Nepal: Safe water campaign launched
24 Mar 08
Kathmandu: Department of Water Supply and Sewerage, UN-HABITAT and the Coca-Cola Company jointly launched ‘ Partnership for Safe Water’ campaign with a view to promote simple household water treatment (HWT) option in urban and sub-urban communities so as to improve access to safe water and reduce diarrhoeal diseases. The campaign would motivate to generate [...]
India: Japanese ODA loans for For Better Urban Investment Environment, Improved Living Conditions and Rural Poverty Reduction
20 Mar 08
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed seven Japanese ODA loan agreements totaling up to 185,575 million yen with the Government of India on March 10, 2008. This constitutes the second half of the FY2007 Japanese ODA loan package to India. The overall Japanese ODA loan to India in FY2007 [...]
Bangladesh: Greater Women’s Involvement in Implementing Arsenic Mitigation Measures in Rural Areas
20 Mar 08
Given the opportunity to participate and develop their capacity, women have often served as catalysts for change. This is particularly true in the provision of safe drinking water to households and communities, where groups of women tackle the tasks of designing, implementing, and sustaining water supply projects. This Pilot and Demonstration Activity (PDA), funded by [...]
