WASH News South Asia
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
India, Himachal Pradesh: 5000 youths to be recruited to maintain water schemes
27 Aug 10
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal of India’s Himachal Pradesh state [pop. 6 million] announced on 13 August 2010 said the state government would be considering recruitment of local water guards on a part-time basis to manage the drinking water supply …Continue reading →
Pakistan floods: Oxfam provides 100,000 people with clean water
10 Aug 10
[In the first week of the crisis, Oxfam was] delivering clean water to almost 100,000 people made homeless by catastrophic flooding in Pakistan. In four of the worst affected areas of the Khyber Paktankhwa (formally NWFP) and Punjab Province, Oxfam …Continue reading →
India: achieving sustainable sanitation – lessons from civil society experiences [report]
08 Aug 10
A new report [1] by Arghyam highlights the outcomes of research and discussions on the experiences of civil society organisations involved in implementing sustainable sanitation campaigns in India. Several concerns were raised during the discussions on the the manner in which the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) was being implemented, followed by identification of steps that [...]
India: Joshi to head National Drinking Water and Sanitation Council
06 Aug 10
The Indian Government has set up a high-level committee, headed by Rural Development Minister C P Joshi, to bring inter-sectoral convergence and coordination between the Centre and states. The committee, National Drinking water and Sanitation Council, will also try to get inputs from experts in the field of drinking water and sanitation. The Council will [...]
India, New Delhi: rights of children violated at Commonwealth Games building sites
04 Aug 10
Children of over 400,000 construction workers at the Commonwealth Games sites are deprived of basic rights like sanitation, schooling and healthcare, said a report released by NGO Child Relief and You (CRY) on 4 August 2010. “We found children living in the workers’ temporary camps living without quality food, safe water, sanitation, quality formal schooling [...]
Nepal, Kalikot: toilet mandatory for citizenship
03 Aug 10
It has become mandatory for the Kalikot residents to produce a certificate of possessing a toilet in order to obtain a citizenship certificate. In a bid to make Kalikot district open defecation free within 2015, the District Council endorsed 11-point declaration on sanitation last year, which states that those applying for citizenship certificate have to [...]
India, Chennai: court to monitor steps taken to abolish manual cleaning of drains
03 Aug 10
The Madras high court has decided to personally monitor the steps taken by the Metrowater and Municipal Administration department to do away with the practice of manual cleaning of sewerage in the state. The first bench comprising Chief Justice M Yusuf Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam was passing orders on a contempt of court petition, [...]
Nepal, Chitwan: a toilet revolution
03 Aug 10
Take a Pee & Get One Rupee. If you have traveled on the Prithvi Highway last year, you must have noticed this seemingly-ridiculous slogan in Darechowk, near Kurintar. Of course, if you have used public toilets before, then you may be more used to paying a rupee to urinate. Instead, members of The Sewa Nepal, [...]
Afghanistan, Ghazni: female meter reader raises water revenues
20 Jul 10
Hiring a female meter reader in a USAID-funded project in Afghanistan, resulted in 75 per cent increase in collected revenue in the first month. In the local cultural context, only a woman can access household meters during times when only other women are at home. The U.S. Government is assisting four provincial water supply departments in [...]
Pakistan: United States announces Signature Water Program
20 Jul 10
After the bilateral Strategic Dialogue meeting in Islamabad on 19 July 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a multi-year Signature Water Program for Pakistan to improve Pakistan’s ability to increase efficient management and use of its scarce water resources and improve water distribution. The first phase of the program will cover seven [...]
