Environmental Health During Disasters
In August 2008, Nepal witnessed a major disaster when the Koshi River broke through its eastern embankment and started flowing through villages of Sunsari District. About 50,000 people have been displaced and eastern Nepal has been cut off because about 5 km of the East-West Highway has been damaged. While many of the trapped in the flood affected areas have been rescued and relief efforts are underway in full swing, there is also an urgent need to reduce risks related environmental health, particularly the spread of water-borne diseases. This requires provision of safe water, basic sanitation and good hygiene practices among all the affected communities. Point of Use (POU) water treatment, emergency sanitation facilities, and promotion of hand washing with soap are simple yet effective methods for emergency situation. ENPHO, with support from UNICEF Nepal has initiated promotion of POU water treatment options and hand washing in districts that are vulnerable to floods in it has also distributed PIYUSH chlorine solution in flood affected areas. But clearly there is a need for more action in this area.
Not Just Toilets: What We Need is Safe & Sustainable Sanitation
In the rush to build more toilets and meet national and international targets for sanitation, we sometimes overlook the need to ensure that sanitation systems are safe and sustainable. Toilets are no doubt very important to ensure proper sanitation. But one should not forget that toilets are often just a means for collecting human excreta and it often does not include systems for transportation and treatment and final disposal/use of the excreta. As a result, if toilets are not designed properly or systems for treatment and safe disposal or reuse of excreta are not in place, we may be just shifting the problem from one place to another without significantly reducing health risks or environmental problems.
The degradation of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu is a classic example of this problem. Central Bureau of Statistics (2005) estimates that only 0.4 percent of the urban residents in Kathmandu Valley do not have toilets. Yet Bagmati is probably one of the most polluted rivers as almost all the sewage is discharged into the river without treatment along with tones of solid waste every day. In peri-urban communities such as Gundu and Pyang, where ENPHO has initiated community based sanitation programmes, there are no sewage collection systems, but people have very primitive toilets which only consists of a hole in the ground. These systems may be better than open defecation but they do not adequately protect people from exposure to the human excreta and they result in environmental pollution.
A recent report by the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation presents sanitation coverage as a four step ladder as follows:
- Open defecation: Defecation in fields, forests, water bodies or other open spaces or disposal of human faeces with solid waste.
- Unimproved sanitation: Facilities that do not ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. These include pit latrines without a slab or platform, hanging latrine and bucket latrines.
- Shared sanitation: Facility of an acceptable type shared by two or more households.
- Improved sanitation facility: Facilities that ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. They include flush or pour flush toilets, VIP latrine, composting toilets.
The report estimates that in 2006, 62% of the world population had access to improved sanitation while 18% practiced open defecation and 12% had unimproved sanitation facilities. While this is a good attempt to categorize toilet facilities according to their health risks, it still does not address the issue of transportation, treatment and final disposal/reuse of excreta.
According to the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) the objective of a sanitation system is to protect and promote human by providing a clean environment and breaking a cycle of disease. It also mentions that a sustainable sanitation system has to be economically viable, socially acceptable, technically and institutionally appropriate and environment friendly. SuSanA has also endorsed the Bellagio Principles for planning and implementing sustainable sanitation systems. The principles are as follows:
- Human dignity, quality of life and environmental security at household level should be at the centre of any sanitation approach.
- In line with good governance principles, decision making should involve participation of all stakeholders, especially consumers and providers of services.
- Waste should be considered a resource and its management should be holistic and form a part of a integrated water resources, nutrient flow and waste management processes.
- The domain in which environmental sanitation problems are resolved should kept to the minimum practicable size (household, neighbourhood, community, town, district, catchments, city).
One
of the best ways to put these principles into practice is to promote ecological
sanitation (ECOSAN) and decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS)
through community participation. ECOSAN systems including urine diverting
toilets and biogas attached toilets, treat waste as a resources and recycles
it in a safe manner so as to minimize impacts on human health and environment
and produce a valuable products such as fertilizer and biogas. Similarly,
DEWATS is an approach that utilizes simple and cost effective treatment
systems such as septic tanks, anaerobic baffle reactors, anaerobic filters
and biogas plants and constructed wetlands, to treat wastewater flows
of up to 500 m3 per day.
ENPHO has been promoting decentralized wastewater treatment systems since 1997 and ECOSAN since 2001. In order to scale up the application of these systems in Nepal and make them more effective, ENPHO has joined hands with Bremen Overseas Research & Development Organization (BORDA) from Germany to promote DEWATS in Nepal through a new initiative starting 2009. BORDA has well known experts on DEWATS and has extensive experience in countries such as India and Indonesia in promoting hundreds of such systems. We are excited about the opportunity to work with BORDA as well as its partners and look forward to intensive promotion of DEWATS in Nepal for safe and sustainable sanitation.
- Bhushan TuladharENPHO
:: ENPHO NEWS ::
WATER PASTEURIZATION THROUGH IMPROVED COOKING STOVE (WAPIC) RESEARCH
ENPHO is in the process of developing a model that integrates improved cooking stove with a water pasteurizing unit. Through this pasteurizing unit, it is assumed that at a certain flow rate of water, the temperature of water reaches 70 degree, which is sufficient to pasteurize the water and make it safe from microbial contamination. The Pasteurizing unit consists of an aluminum coil placed either in the combustion chamber or the bottom of the chimney. At the moment, the bacteriological tests are being conducted at the chimney section of the WAPIC. By adjusting the flow rate, water reaches the temperature of 65, 70 and 75 degree Celsius in the pasteurization unit and these samples are being examined for bacterial removal efficiency of the system. Preliminary data shows that the removal efficiency at 70 degree is 99 % for E.coli and 98 % for T. coli. The flow rate maintained to achieve 70 degree water is 70±5 ml/litre.
PROMOTION OF POINT OF USE WATER TREATMENT
ENPHO in partnership with UN-HABITAT, Bottlers Nepal, Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) and Municipalities (Hetauda, Bharatpur, Butwal, Lalitpur and Nepalgunj) has been conducting various activities safe water and sanitation promotional from 3rd and 4th week of July in order to improve the health of general public. During this period, workshops were organized among representatives from local government, health volunteers, journalists and concerned stakeholders and then after organized a day long ‘Orientation Training on POU Water Treatment options (Boiling, Chlorination – PIYUSH or Water Guard, SODIS and Filtration) and Sanitation’ in above mentioned municipalities.
INITIATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF NDWQS, 2062 IN HETAUDA MUNICIPALITY
A committee of five members has been formed in Hetauda Municipality to develop Water Safety Plan (WSP) for the water supply systems managed by Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC). The coordinator of the committee is Chief of (NWSC), Hetauda and members are the representatives from Hetauda Municipality, Users Committee, Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office, and municipality board for drinking water. The team inspected the water supply systems from source to tap and gathered the preliminary information about sanitary and technical conditions of water supply networking.
INSTALLATION OF POU WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN SCHOOLS
Three-day hands on training on ‘POU water treatment options and water quality testing’ to Water Supply and Sanitation Sub-Divisional Offices (WSSSDO) in Dang, Kapilvastu, Panchathar and Parsa districts was conducted with support from UNICEF. Trained WSSSDO technicians with technical support from ENPHO will install appropriate POU options in 188 schools in four districts.
SEWAGE TRIP
On 3rd August, ENPHO organized a one-day field visit of wastewater treatment plants for members of the Bagmati Action Plan Study Team. The team visited the Kodku Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lalitpur, Sunga Community Based Wastewater Treatment Plant in Thimi, and Sallaghari and Hanumante Wastewater Treatment Plants in Bhaktapur. The Kathmandu Uptyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) is responsible for managing the Kodku, Sallaghari and Hanumante Wastewater Treatment Plants, which are all based on simple lagoon system, but the plants are only partially operating because of lack of proper maintenance.
TRAINING ON WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS FOR BSP
A week long training program (11 – 15th Aug 2008) was conducted by Environmental Analysis and Laboratory Services (EALS), ENPHO on Basic Water Quality and Water Analysis to the staffs of Biogas Support Program (BSP). The trainees are Ms. Charushree Nakarmi, Ms. Nishant Rai and Mr. Bikash Koirala.
SHARING OF EXPERIENCES ON WATER PASTEURIZATION FROM BANGLADESH
On 12 August, ENPHO’s research team on WAPIC met with David Nunley from Wagtech Bangladesh to discuss Bangladesh’s experience with the Chuli system. ENPHO is conducting research on WAPIC which is a system that incorporates a water pasteurization unit within the improved cook stoves that are being widely promoted in Nepal. If successful, the technology will be able to able to address the problems of indoor air pollution and contaminated drinking water, which are the two most significant environmental health risks in Nepal. The Chuli system, which was designed in Bangladesh, has a pasteurization unit built into ordinary stoves.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES UNDER UEIP, DHULLIKHEL PROJECT
A team of ENPHO conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with 467 community people in 17 project areas. The main objective was to discuss the needs of the poor and disadvantage groups for infrastructure development, capacity building and income generation activities. According to a notice published in local weekly newspaper for toilet demand, demand letter from the community has been collected and sent to the Municipality for approval. The draft design for toilet construction has already been prepared. Altogether 317 households were surveyed to collect the necessary information like family size, economic condition, water treatment options used, need of capacity building and skill trainings, infrastructure development, health and hygiene practices were collected. One day TOT program on Water, Health and Sanitation was organized to the motivators of the Municipality, local partner organization and the promoters on 21st August 2008. The main objective was to brief them about the activities of the ENPHO and the strategy adopted for UEIP program.
AMBIENT AIR MONITORING AT VSBK IN RAINY SEASONENPHO conducted ambient air monitoring at a Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) in Imadol, Lalitpur for rainy season between August 11-20, 2008. Specific parameters monitored were PM10, PM2.5, and SO2. 24 hr sampling was performed 3 times in consecutive days in loading and unloading zones at the VSBK. Preliminary results show relatively lower particulate levels for this season, as compared to Pre-monsoon season (March-April –May). The key activities contributing to PM level increase in loading zone is combustion process of the wet bricks in the shaft region. However, frequent loading and unloading activities of bricks, movement of workers, and soil floor was also seen contributing specifically to larger fraction of overall higher PM levels in loading and unloading zones at VSBK.
HWTSS AND PROPER HYGIENE PRACTICES FOR CHOLERA PREVENTION IN LALITPUR
An agreement was signed between Lalitpur Municipality, UEMS and ENPHO to promote Point of Use (POU) water treatment options and proper hygiene practices in Lalitpur Municipality. Bhushan Tuladhar, Executive Director of ENPHO, made a presentation about the need to promote POU options and hygiene to prevent spread of cholera at a meeting held with 20 stakeholders of the Municipality on 4th August 2008. The chief of the Municipality, Mr. Krishna Devkota said that the Municipality will take the lead in coordinating the campaign and it will integrate it in their ongoing program. Similarly, Ms. Biju Dangol, Program Officer of ENPHO gave presentation to 12 secretary and 28 health promoters of the Lalitpur Municipality on 6th August about the program strategy, the data of cholera outbreak and the need of Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTSS). The main objective was to inform all the officials about the program and to identify their roles to reduce the cholera problem. Altogether 90 Tole Health Promoters (THPs), WHIC, City volunteers, water volunteers and representatives of Women Development Office were provided TOT on drinking water quality, health impact, the need of Household Water Treatment and Storage (HWTS) and safe hygiene practices, role of community mobilizers on 7th and 8th August, 2008. Mr. Rajesh Adhikary, Mr. Bipin Dangol, Mr. Makhan Maharjan and Ms. Biju Dangol from ENPHO, Mr. Dal B. Singtan from UEMS and Ms. Sabina Maharjan from Lalitpur Municipality were the resource persons.
SAFE SANITATION IN GUNDU & CHAPAGAUN
ENPHO, with the support from WaterAid Nepal, is working with peri urban communities in Kathmandu Valley, particularly Gundu, Bhatapur and Chapagaon, Lalitpur to implement household centred and community based water and and sanitation programmes. The targeted wards are ward no. 1, 3 and 5 for chapagaon VDC and ward 7 (whole) and ward no. 6 (partial) for Gundu VDC. In the month of August, ENPHO focused on promotion of toilets and training programmes on community Led Total Sanitation, Health & Hygiene, Point of Use Water Treatment, Solid Waste Management and Ecological Sanitation in these communities. During the month, 5 toilets in Chapagaon and 17 toilets in Gundu have been constructed.
PARTICIPATION/PRESENTATIONS
- On 12 August, Bhushan Tuladhar made a presentation on “Climate Change and Youth” at a programme organized by Youth Forum Nepal to celebrate International Youth Day.
- Rajesh Adhikari, Promotional Manager at ENPHO made a presentation on Point of Use (POU) water treatment at an interaction program organized by Janakalayan Women’s Group, Thapathai Kathmandu on 31st July 2008.
- From 17 to 23 August, Bhushan Tuladhar participated in the World Water Week 2008 at Stockholm and attended the Annual Partners Meeting of Bremen Overseas Research & Development Organization (BORDA). He made a presentation on Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) in Nepal and discussed future activities of BORDA-ENPHO joint initiative in Nepal. BORDA and ENPHO have agreed to initiate a three year programme to promote DEWATS and Community Based Sanitation starting in 2009. Bhushan Tuladhar also attended the 7th meeting of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) in Stockholm.
- Dharma Prajapati, Senior Community Mobilizer from ENPHO, participated in a training on School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) organized by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) from August 12 to 15. Prem Malla, Sichodaya High School in Bajhang, Shriju Pradhan from Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Ganga from Hetauda Municipality also participated in the training. ENPHO is implementing SLTS programmes in Bajhang and Hetauda.
- Punu Duwal, Community Mobilizer at ENPHO, participated in 5-day Training on “Facilitation for Social Change” from 10-14 August 2008. The training was organized by Society for Urban Poor (SOUP) and facilitated by Mr. Kamal Phuyal and Ms. Guheshwori Shrestha. During the training, the participants learned various facilitation skills and also shared their experiences from the field.
- On 8 August, Rajesh Adhikari, Promotional Manager gave a presentation for PIYUSH production and historical background of PIYUSH and its role to control water borne disease and new marketing approach for Field Coordinators of MITRA SAMAJ.
- Indonesian Government through Ministry of Health, Directorate General of Disease Control and Environmental health is developing a National Strategy of Community based Total Sanitation which consists of 5 pillars including Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage. In order to scale up its development, MoH conducted a "National Conference on Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage" from 19-21 August, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Ms. Biju Dangol, Program Officer of ENPHO was invited as a resource person where she presented Nepal’s experiences on HWTS and the 3D approach adopted by ENPHO for POU promotion.
- Rajesh Adhikari, Promotional Manager and Rajendra Shrestha, Program Manager of ENPHO made presentations on Point of Use water treatment, Ecological Sanitation (EcoSan), Wastewater Management and Rain Water Harvesting system at an orientation program for Om Health Campus BSc II year (Nursing) students on 12 August.
- Rajesh Adhikari, Promotional Manager gave an interview at Koshi FM Biratnagar on Point of Use (POU) household water treatment options and Kanchan Arsenic Filter Terai region on 21 August.
:: LOCAL NEWS ::
47 PC WATER IN VALLEY ‘UNSAFE’
A recent survey has found chlorine content in 47 per cent of piped water samples collected from 120 places of the Valley nil even as chlorination of drinking water is needed for its decontamination. Initiated by NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation (NGOFUWS) and tested by consumers themselves, 648 samples among the 1,385 tested in between June 9 and August 25 contained no Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) while 99 samples contained higher FRC than recommended. The chlorine left free in the water after all reactions is called FRC. According to WHO, 0.2mg to 0.5mg FRC per litre of water is safe. Nepal Drinking Water Quality Standard 2006 also follows the WHO guideline. Trace of FRC in water is the indicator that the water is free from germs. Low FRC (less than 0.2mg per litre) means incomplete destruction of germs. Samples from Dillibazaar Height, Ratopul, Naradevi, Anamnagar, Bhotebahal, Bhimsengola, Thapathali, Teku, Gongabu Ganeshthan, Godavari, Harisiddhi and Tyanglaphant were detected with no FRC. “Absence of FRC is an indicator that the water might be contaminated with pathogens,” said Prakash Amatya, executive director of NGOFUWS. There is an increase in the cases of waterborne diseases in the Valley during the last few months and lack of proper chlorination of water could be one of the reasons for it. Chandra Lal Nakarmi, technical manager of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, the sole distributor of drinking water in the Valley, said that they treat the water in reservoirs at the rate of 1 to 2 mg per litre and the loss of chlorine at the household level could be due to the distance between the place of utilisation and reservoir and due to contamination of water pipes as the distribution network was old and sloppy. He said KUKL was planning to repair the distribution lines. Amatya said, “FRC reports were being dispatched daily to the KUKL and other authorities concerned. If the network cannot be repaired immediately, consumers can be made aware of the situation and ensure that they consumed properly treated water.” He added chlorination at household level, boiling, filtration or SODIS treatment can be done to make the water safe for drinking.
Source: The Himalayan Times, 26 AugustFIVE KILLED AS BAJHANG UNDER DIARRHOEA GRIP
An outbreak of diarrhoea has killed five persons, including a boy, in Deulikot VDC-4 of Bajhang District. Diarrhoea has been raging in Deulikot for a week. Deulikot has a health post, but it is of no use to the patients because it does not even have basic medicines. Thirty-year-old Bisna Okheda and her eight-year-old son Sunil Okheda, 35-year-old Saraswoti Singh, Gore Okheda and Tikhu Patali died in Deulikot VDC, around 44 miles west of the district headquarters Chainpur, said deputy superintendent of police Bajhang Hari Bhakta Prajapati. People have moving to safer places to save themselves from epidemic of diarrhea. Even common medicines are not available in the Deulikot health post, Jayalal Bohara, a local said. In the name of staffer, the health post has a peon, he said. We have been making efforts to supply medicine to the diarrhea-hit villages, said head of the district public health office Rajendra Prasad Khatri. Khatri added that a team of medical personnel headed by an assistant health worker has been dispatched to the affected area.
Source: The Himalayan Times, 28 AugustTOILET CONSTRUCTED BY SELLING ORNAMENT
Jitmaya Magar, a local from Bhoteodar VDC of Lamjung invested her hard-earned money and sold her gold earrings and a goat to construct a concrete toilet. She has constructed the toilet after realizing the importance of toilet. About 45 households in the village have constructed toilets after the students of local ‘Bhabisya Nirman Lower Secondary School’ got involved in toilet construction campaign to declare the ward nos. 8 and 9 of Bhoteodar VDC an open defecation free zone. The villagers have constructed toilets in their houses after the students made the villagers aware about the disadvantages of defecating in the open.
Source: Gorkhapatra, 21 AugustNEPAL GOVERNMENT TO ADD WATER, SANITATION IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM
The Ministry of Education and Sports, Nepal is going to introduce value based education programme on water and sanitation with special focus on school students. The programme will included value based education in the school syllabus with an objective to conserve water sources and promote proper sanitation. The programme will be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Education and Sports, UN HABITAT Water for Asian Cities (WAC) Programme Nepal and Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA). Addressing the present situation of sanitation in the country where many people are losing their lives due to lack of water and sanitation facilities, Bala Nanda Poudel, Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports said, “We are already late in introducing an education curriculum sensitizing people about these basic facilities. Therefore, the ministry has taken initiatives to run this program." "Since lack of adequate drinking water and proper sanitation is a major global problem, students are going to be provided with value base WATSAN education", said Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha, Chief Technical Advisor of UN-HABITAT. Altogether 10 schools will be selected for the programme. Students and teachers will be educated on water conservation and its proper utilization, sanitation and public health. Two of the selected schools will be developed as models with additional infrastructure development under the program.
Source: The Kathmandu Post; Gorkhapatra; Rajdhani, 15 August; Annapurna Post, 16 AugustDEVELOPMENT OF MASTER PLAN ON HYGIENE AND SANITATION
Nepal has grabbed the IYS-2008 as a golden opportunity and has been working towards developing the Master Plan within the year 2008 as envisaged in the Nepal Country Plan for the IYS. This Plan will be a strategic vision document or a milestone to step ahead of MDG and achieve NG in sanitation.IYS-2008 Nepal Desk has been facilitating the overall process as a secretariat. So far, a number of consultation meetings have been held and a team of experts have been mobilized for developing the master plan. For coordinating the over all action, an advisory committee has been formed under the coordination of the joint secretary of MPPW and comprising members from DWSS, DOLIDAR, UNICEF, WHO, UN-HABITAT, WaterAid Nepal, RWSSFDB and NEWAH.
Source: Sarsafai, IYS Newsletter-AugustCLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS HIMALAYAN REGION
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the World Agro Forestry Center, China (ICRAF-China) alerted the global community on the impacts of climate change on the Himalayan water resources at a seminar on Asian Water Towers at the World Water Week in Stockholm. A joint ICIMOD/ICRAF-China seminar on Asian Water Towers was held as part of the World Water Week in Stockholm to raise awareness amongst the international community, to identify policy options strengthening the adaptation and resilience of the mountain people. High-level representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan also presented their analysis from their respective points of view according to ICIMOD. Global climate change according to data published by ICIMOD is causing a rapid melt down of snow and glaciers in the Himalayan region and the water from the Himalayan river systems flows into water basins with a total population of almost 1.3 billion. "Warming in the Himalayan region has been much greater than global average. Both increasing and decreasing rainfall patters have been detected in the area. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme – dry seasons become dryer and wet seasons wetter. This phenomenon is causing concern over the long term reduction in total water supply, affecting lives and livelihoods of the Himalayan people, especially in agriculture practices and long term food security," a press statement issued by the organisation said. Dr. Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD said that the signs of global climate change were visible, but the in-depth knowledge and data from the Himalayan region was missing. "There is an urgent need to increase scientific co-operation and regional collaboration to reduce this information gap." In addition to the seminar, an ICIMOD photo exhibition titled Himalaya – Changing Landscapes, which aims to raise awareness on the impact of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers by showing repeat photographs, taken fifty years apart, of the mountains and valleys in the Mount Everest region in Nepal, was also displayed at the World Water Week.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 26 August 26STUDENTS SUFFER FROM WATER SHORTAGE
The students of Bhanu Sanskrit Secondary School are compelled to carry water to the school from a source at a distance of half an hour's walk as there is no provision of water in the school. The students have made a system of turns to fetch water to the school. Every student has to carry at l east 2 pots water and serve all the 350 students in the school. Amrit Bishwokarma, an eight grader said, "The turn will be shifted for the other day if any student is absent for a day." He complained that fetching water is more difficult in the summer and rainy seasons. He informed that a student will have his/her turn once a month. The school has provided a jar and a mug for every class. Bishwokarma added that students generally miss their classes on the day of their turn of water fetching.
Source: Kantipur, 21 August
NEPAL'S SCOPING DOCUMENT FOR GSF PREPARED
As a result of the enhanced coordination of the MPPW and IYS-2008 Nepal Desk, all the concerned organizations (GOs/NGOs) are jointly working under the umbrella of Steering Committee for National Sanitation Action (SCNSA) to bring Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) in Nepal. A task force coordinated by the joint secretary of MPPW has been working for the fund. The IYS-2008 Nepal Desk has been contributing as the secretariat to facilitate work. Due to continuous support of stakeholders, the draft scope of work for the GSF has been developed. The initiative for GSF has opened many opportunities to work together with global communities and fulfill the resource gap in sanitation.
Source: Sarsafai, IYS Newsletter-August
:: GLOBAL NEWS ::
MARKING WORLD WATER WEEK, UNICEF CALLS FOR BOOST IN SANITATION
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stressed the importance of sanitation and hygiene in schools as events are held around the globe to mark World Water Week, which began yesterday. Over 170 organizations have converged in Stockholm, Sweden, this week to discuss issues surrounding this year’s theme for the Week, “Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Health World.” For its part, UNICEF will convene two seminars: one on the impact of hygiene interventions for children, and the other on the necessity of clean water in schools. Over 5,000 children under the age of five die every day due to diarrhoeal diseases, resulting in part from unsafe water and lack of access to basic sanitation facilities, according to the agency. UNICEF stressed that simple behavioural changes, such as using soap when washing hands, can slash mortality rates related to diarrhoea by half. Further, the lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools impedes access to education, with many girls’ attendance falling when they hit puberty, the agency said.
Source: UN News Service, 18 AugustDRINKING WATER OF 41 MILLION AMERICANS CONTAMINATED WITH PHARMACEUTICALS
An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has revealed that the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs. It has long been known that drugs are not wholly absorbed or broken down by the human body. Significant amounts of any medication taken eventually pass out of the body, primarily through the urine.
Source: www.enn.com, 26 AugustBRAZIL - SANITATION IS AN ISSUE OF NATIONAL POLICY
Sanitation is one of the worst public services in Brazil. While 92.7% of homes have electricity and 75.2% have access to the water network, only 47% of households have sewage collection services. Moreover, only one in three Brazilians have sewage collection and treatment services simultaneously. Only 20% of sewage produced is treated, meaning the other 80% ends up in rivers, lakes, fountains and the ocean. The statistics are from a study carried out by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) at the request of the Intituto Trata Brasil (ITB), an NGO set up at the end of last year by companies interested in developing this sector. To learn more about the sector, the consequences of low service coverage and possible solutions, BNamericas spoke with ITB executive director Raul Graça Couto Pinho.
Source: http://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com, 26 AugustCOTE D'IVOIRE: UN WARNS TOXIC WASTE STILL A THREAT
Photo: Pauline Bax/IRINToxic waste dumped in Abidjan in 2006 has not been cleaned up and some of the victims are still suffering
Two years after an illegal toxic dumping operation in the Ivorian capital Abidjan created a widespread medical emergency and political scandal, UN contamination expert Okechukwu Ibeanu warns the clean-up effort has stalled. "The sites have still not been decontaminated and continue to pose a threat to the health of thousands of people," Ibeanu, the UN Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, said in Abidjan earlier in August, after completing a one-week assessment mission. International waste removal experts in protective suits and masks swarmed across Abidjan in September 2006 after it emerged toxic waste had been dumped in several areas of the city. The chemical waste arrived in Abidjan, a port city, in August 2006 on a ship chartered by the Netherlands-based commodities company Trafigura Beheer and apparently dumped in residential neighbourhoods by a local contractor. The substance contained the potentially lethal hydrogen sulfide, according to a UN report. Some 16 deaths were attributed to the waste which was found at seven sites including in densely populated slum areas, and Ivorian emergency medical service officials said more than 100,000 people went to hospitals and clinics for evaluation. Human rights expert Ibeanu said many of those affected by the waste have received little or no assistance since the 2006 media-storm over the dumping died down, despite a US$198 million indemnity fund being provided by the company behind the Dutch boat. "We met many of the victims who still show symptoms of their exposure to the waste. They still have headaches and sores. among the victims there are particularly vulnerable people - those who have little money to feed themselves, let alone to get treatment." Some of the victims have had no choice but to return to their homes and businesses alongside the deadly waste. Ibeanu said the health ministry should carry out a full survey of the affected population and provide urgent medical assistance to those who need it, including setting up dedicated units in hospitals to treat victims. "The government needs to do more for its people," he said later in a statement. The expert also suggested that the international community and the government earmark money specifically for constructing safe waste disposal sites, to ensure the disaster will not be repeated.
Source: IRIN News, 19 AugustGLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY
The first-ever Global Handwashing Day will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. The UN General Assembly has designated 2008 the International Year of Sanitation,
and Global Handwashing Day will echo and reinforce its call for improved hygiene practices. Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people in more than 20 countries across five continents to wash their hands with soap. The First Global Patient Safety Challenge, Clean Care is Safer Care, is happy to support the ethos of this Day. WHO's Clean Care is Safer Care programme is concerned with improving hand hygiene everywhere in the world where health care is delivered. We therefore welcome any related initiative which advocates for better hand hygiene beyond health care, including the pioneering work of the Global Public Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap.
Source: www.who.int
::UPCOMING EVENTS ::
17th AGM of ENPHO
The Executive Board of the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) has decided to organize its 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 6 September 2008 (21 Bhadra 2065), Saturday. The Board would like to invite all members (general and executive) to this meeting to be organized at ENPHO Hall at 10:30 AM.
TRAINING ON SAFE WATER AND SUSTAINABLE SANITATION
ENPHO will organize a 5-day training from 1 to 5 September on Safe Water and Sustainable Sanitation for the staff of Rural Village Water Resources Management Programme/FINNIDA.
SANITATION CASE STUDY COMPETITION
To celebrate the International Year of Sanitation, WaterAid Nepal is launching a sanitation case study competition to capture some of the most innovative environmental sanitation approaches, technologies and champions across Nepal. The competition is targeted at professionals supporting rural and urban communities to access improved sanitation services and create totally sanitised environments. To enter the competition participants must document, through case studies, their experiences of successful sanitation activities at the community level. Information on the topics on which they can write and the format the case study must follow is detailed in the attached leaflets. The three best case studies will receive prizes, which will be split between the author and the community the case study is based on. WaterAid Nepal will also collate the case studies into a publication for learning within the sector.
Please note that you must register your interest by 15 September 2008, and the deadline for submission of case studies is 12th December 2008. If you have any questions, please contact WaterAid Nepal on 977-1-555 2764 or sanitationcomp@wateraidnepal.org.np
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