Source Weekly 2009, 11

Published - 12 Nov 09

International

Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done

Despite the existence of inexpensive and efficient means of treatment, diarrhoea kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined, according to a new UNICEF/WHO report. Other research finds that diarrhoea kills 1.5 million over-five-year-olds – mostly adolescents and the elderly - in Africa and South-East Asia, more than three times more than previously thought.

Climate change: water evaporates from Copenhagen negotiations, say campaigners

The latest draft of the negotiating text on climate adaptation has deleted any clear references to water and its management, said campaigners at a pre-Copenhagen event in Barcelona.

Human rights: UN investigator tells of horrors and insanitary conditions of world prisons

Inmates at a prison in Uruguay can spend years in cells where temperatures rise to 60 degrees Celcius. They had to use the water in the toilets for drinking and defecate in plastic bags, which they later threw outside their cells.

Mrs. Momota Begum, 45, living in a three-decade old refugee camp in Dhaka, Bangladesh

It would be a heaven's gift if a proper drainage system could be arranged in this area where all the drains are covered and do not overflow.

Kenya: water ministry has lost millions

The Water ministry may have lost millions of shillings through unexplained payments to water drilling contractors. The ministry is hard put to explain the debts, which now exceed US$ 13 million and is suspected to have been lost at the National Water and Pipeline Corporation.

South Africa, Johannesburg: Phiri residents lose court battle

The South African water rights case (in which Phiri residents challenged the use of prepaid meters in the free basic water policy) has after five years finally ended with the country's Constitutional Court coming down squarely on the side of government and the City of Johannesburg.

Swaziland: many boreholes, no water

In Swaziland over 3,000 boreholes have been drilled in the country since 1986, but over 40 per cent of the population have no access to clean water and about 90 percent of the community water projects are not functioning.

Tanzania: Unicef, Govt launch national hygiene campaign

A national campaign to improve hygiene and sanitation in Tanzania was launched in Dar es Salaam on 3 November 2009. Duing the campaign people are required to send photographs of the kind of toilets available or being used in the community, old toilets, filthy ones and the cleanest or new toilets.

West Africa: stopping cholera emergencies

Researchers say knowing the drivers behind behaviour and tying hygiene messages to those impulses is crucial for preventing cholera, which has become a recurring health emergency in West Africa. Sustainable change depends on making sure people practice things so that they become habits,

Palestine: Israel rations water to a trickle, Amnesty International says

Amnesty International has accused Israel of denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over the shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies. Israeli authorities said the report “distorts the truth” and that it reflected Palestinian propaganda.

Yemen: market price of water has quadrupled in four years

More than half of Yemen’s scarce water is used to feed an addiction, called qat. Meanwhile, the market price of water has quadrupled in the past four years, pushing more and more people to drill illegally into rapidly receding aquifers.

China, Guiyang: ADB to help combat water shortages in capital of Guizhou province

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping China enact wide-ranging, integrated measures in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, one of the poor western provinces in PRC, to tackle growing water shortages caused by rapid growth and urbanization.

India: Cabinet promises better access to water for women and minorities

Two decisions taken by the Union Cabinet promise to give better access to water for women and minorities in India.

Nepal: Sanitation finally a priority

Four ministries in Nepal have finally made a joint commitment to launch a massive water and sanitation campaign to meet the state’s target of providing complete sanitation to all by 2017, nearly six months after the outbreak of diarrhoea that spread earlier in 2009 in 18 districts across Nepal killed nearly 300 people.

Pakistan: Community Led Total Sanitation did not create demand for “improved sanitation”

A recent assessment of CLTS pilots in nine villages in Pakistan revealed that the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) had the potential to motivate communities to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status. However, it did not create demand for “improved sanitation”.

Bolivia, Haiti: IDB, Spain provide US$ 139 million for water and sanitation

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Spain will provide a total of US$ 139 million in grants and loans to Haiti and Bolivia.

Bolivia: drop in diarrhoea thanks to swine flu handwashing campaign

Nayeli Quispe, a seven-year old from the impoverished hillsides of La Paz, Bolivia has been washing his hands a lot more than usual. His behaviour is inspired by a massive campaign by the country’s public-health officials to contain the spread of the new flu virus.

Ecuador: one dead and dozens injured in water protests

One protester has been killed and many more are injured following clashes between indigenous tribal people and Ecuadorian police over proposed water and land rights laws.

World Water Council: UN agencies join board despite activist lobby

Three UN agencies, UNESCO, FAO and UN-HABITAT, have been elected on the new Board of Governors of the World Water Council (WWC), organisers of the World Water Forum (WWF).

Golden Poo Awards: Uganda’s Minister of State for Water wins Sanitation Champion category

Uganda’s Minister of State for Water Jennifer Namuyangu Byakatonda is one of the winners in the Sanitation Champion category of a Golden Poo Award.

SMK Campaigner Award: Ghanaian journalist wins international award for water and sanitation campaign

Ghanaian journalist and human rights campaigner Raphael Ahenu has won a British award for his water and sanitation campaign.

Doc Hendley: bartender who turns wine to water in developing world, among CNN’s Top 10 Heroes

Bartender Doc Hendley, whose nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries, has been chosen as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009.

Senior Program Officer – Demand-Led Sanitation, Gates Foundation, USA

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will play a pivotal leadership role in the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, taking primary responsibility for developing, executing and managing a portfolio of high-impact grants.

Apply before Thursday 31 December 2009

Senior Program Officer – Sanitation Technologies and Tools, Gates Foundation, USA

The Senior Program Officer will play a pivotal leadership role in the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, taking primary responsibility for developing, executing and managing a portfolio of high-impact grants.

Apply before Thursday 31 December 2009

WASH Adviser – Regional Public Health Engineer (South Asia), Oxfam

The WASH adviser - Regional Public Health Engineer will through field deployments and distant mentoring and coaching assess and build PHP capacity of Oxfam and partner staff.

Apply before Tuesday 24 November 2009

WASH Adviser – Regional Public Health Promoter (South Asia), Oxfam

The WASH adviser - Regional Public Health Promoter will through field deployments and distant mentoring and coaching assess and build PHP capacity of Oxfam and partner staff.

Apply before Tuesday 24 November 2009

Chief of Party, Water and Sanitation, Catholic Relief Services, Madagascar

The Chief of Party will coordinate and oversee all aspects of the implementation of an anticipated new Water and Sanitation program.

Apply before Monday 21 December 2009

Health impact: Gates Foundation awards US$ 10.9 million to evaluate sanitation interventions

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have received a five-year, US$ 10.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate several interventions to combat diarrhoeal disease in developing countries.

On-site sanitation: peer pressure builds more latrines than financial assistance in Orissa

Government subsidies persuade some people to change habits, but social shame works even better, suggests a recent ground breaking study of efforts to reduce elevated childhood death and disease rates blamed on the microbial pathogens that cause diarrhoea in rural India.

Local governance: lessons from implementing WASH activities in the coastal belt of Bangladesh

Important lessons emerge from the large Coastal Belt Water Supply and Sanitation project that was supported by Danida and the Government of Bangladesh during 1997-2009. Processes, achievements and challenges are documented in a new publication that is a must-read for everyone involved in decentralisation and local governance.

Privatisation: two thirds of ADB's private sector water transactions cancelled

Two-thirds of water transactions approved by the Asian Development Bank's Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) had to be canceled due to disputes between project promoters and authorities, limitations of the build-operate-transfer modality, and unresolved tariff issues.

Microfinance: local entrepreneurs in Bangladesh provide affordable sanitation

With access to microcredit, local small entrepreneurs can now produce and market a range of affordable sanitation options for households, thanks to a pilot project supported by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP).

Uganda: donors give US$ 94 million for water

Donors have committed over US$ 94 million in the next five years for the water, sanitation and environment sectors in Uganda. This was revealed by Denmark, acting as chair of the Development Partners Group for water and sanitation.

Asian sanitation data book 2008 : achieving sanitation for all

This is the first data book on sanitation for the Asia and Pacific region. It features raw data and analyses on the sanitation situation in 27 cities in Asia.

Study for financial and economic analysis of ecological sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study focuses on a comparison of sanitation technologies suitable for urban settlements. It compares ecosan with conventional sanitation systems in terms of financial and economic costs and benefits based.

Introducing SaniFOAM : a framework to analyze sanitation behaviors to design effective sanitation programs

This paper introduces SaniFOAM (F for Focus, O for Opportunity, A for Ability and M for Motivation), a conceptual behaviour change framework that can be used both in community-led and in sanitation marketing approaches.

The atlas of water

This second, updated edition of the atlas shows water distribution worldwide, and reflects the latest thinking and emerging issues.

Management and treatment of urban wastewater for irrigation in Rajshahi, Bangladesh - WASPA Asia Project

This paper presents work that was undertaken as part of the Wastewater Agriculture and Sanitation for Poverty Alleviation in Asia project in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Body of Knowledge on Infrastructure Regulation

Created with funding from the World Bank and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), this web site provides resources for capacity building and policy analysis in the field of infrastructure management and regulation.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Improvement Training Package

The USAID Hygiene Improvement Project (HIP) has prepared this package to support the training of local outreach workers and their work in communities to promote improved WASH practices to reduce diarrhoea.

World Toilet Day

International, 19 November 2009

Established on 19 November 2001 by the World Toilet Organization, World Toilet Day is celebrated annually to increase awareness of the importance of toilet sanitation and each individual’s right to a safe and hygienic sanitary environment.

IIIrd World Aqua Congress

New Delhi, India, 02-04 December 2009

The theme for this conference, organised by the Aqua Foundation, is "Enhancing Water Use Efficiency".

Decentralized Waste Water Treatment Solutions in Developing Countries

Surabaya, Indonesia, 23-25 March 2010

The conference and exhibition aims to bring together top wastewater and sanitation experts, governments, utilities and international agencies to share and discuss their expertise, knowledge and experiences on decentralised wastewater treatment solutions.

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