WASH News South Asia
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
India, Tamil Nadu: housing and toilets for women self-help groups
30 Sep 10
An Indian NGO that provides housing and toilets for women’s groups was a finalist in the 2010 World Habitat Awards. Established in 1979, the Integrated Village Development Project (IVDP) mobilises poor women to form self-help saving groups (SHG). Some 6,700 …Continue reading →
India, Nagaland: sanitary napkin vending machines installed in schools
28 Sep 10
Automatic sanitary napkin vending machines have been installed in five schools in Kohima district, Nagaland, as part of India’s total sanitation campaign. The installation was an initiative of the Communication and Capacity Devlopment Unit of Nagaland’s Public Health Engineering Department …Continue reading →
India, Orissa: cholera-diarrhoea epidemic claims 140 lives
15 Sep 10
At least 140 people have died from cholera and diarrhoeal diseases in the Indian state of Orissa. Worst hit is Rayagada district, where 39 deaths have ocurred and 784 affected persons have received medical attention since first week of August …Continue reading →
Bangladesh, Dinajpur: 3,000 villagers stage water protest
15 Sep 10
A ground water resource conflict culminated in a mass protest as nearly 3,000 villagers besieged a power plant in northern Bangladesh. The villagers threatened to cut the electricity supply to the water cooling system of the Barapukuria power plant in …Continue reading →
Pakistan: sanitation crucial to survival for flood victims
15 Sep 10
Millions remain without proper sanitation in flood-affected Pakistan. “Sanitation is ‘the invisible problem’ in disaster relief and by highlighting the problem, behaviour change happens,” according to Bill Fellows, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) global cluster coordinator working with United …Continue reading →
India, Bangalore: new legislation lets water board tackle water thieves
10 Sep 10
A recent amendment to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act enables the board to take tough action against water theft and meter tampering. So far the BWSSB has booked criminal cases against 15 violators and subsequently disconnected …Continue reading →
India, Punjab: opposition Congress party promises subsidised water for the poor
01 Sep 10
Coming down heavily on the Punjab [state] government for the sale of clean potable drinking water to the poor in the cotton belt of Malwa affected by incidents of cancer, the Punjab Congress [...] promised to supply subsidised drinking water …Continue reading →
Nepal, Pokhara: collateral-free loans for water connection
01 Sep 10
A bank in Pokhara is said to be the first in Nepal to provide collateral-free loans to people to get a piped water supply connection. All the bank requires is consent from the neighbours. Kamana Development Bank is providing loans …Continue reading →
India, Andhra Pradesh: groundwater regulation under consideration
27 Aug 10
Stopping private investments in borewell digging and institutionalising community level participatory groundwater monitoring systems are two suggested measures to halt unsustainable groundwater use in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Special Commissioner for Rural Development proposes these measures in …Continue reading →
Afghanistan: chlorination drive to avert water-borne diseases
27 Aug 10
Health workers in flood-affected parts of Afghanistan are trying to prevent water-borne disease outbreaks by chlorinating drinking water and promptly delivering health services. Dozens of small health teams have been sent to areas mainly in northern and eastern Afghanistan hit …Continue reading →
