EDITORIAL

The diarhoeal epidemic that is spreading in Jajarkot and surrounding districts of mid-western Nepal has once again alerted us on the huge damage that a simple and preventable disease such as diarrhoea can cause. The death toll in Jajarkot district due to over 10 years of conflict was 209, Now within three months the death toll due to diarrhoea in Jajarkot has reached almost 200. This clearly indicates how serious this problem has become. Many innocent lives are being lost and productivity has been damaged because we have been unable to provide of simple measures such as drinking safe water, adequate sanitation and hand washing practices to most people in Nepal. In this context, just having access to clean environment and health services as a fundamental right in the constitution is not enough. We need to work hard and make the necessary investments to ensure that people can enjoy their constitutional rights to safe environment and life. As tragic as the Jajarkot epidemic may be, let us hope that it will at least provide the necessary impetus to accelerate our efforts to ensure all citizens have access to safe water and sustainable sanitation and hygiene practices.

WAPIC: Water Pasteurization through Improved Cookstoves:
Integration water purification and indoor smoke alleviation

:: ENPHO NEWS ::

URBAN ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT IN DHULIKHEL

ENPHO in coordination with Urban Environment Improvement Project (UEIP), Dhulikhel surveyed 231 households of wards 1 to 9 to collect information on existing waste management practices. One of the major activities of UEIP program is the construction of community and school level infrastructure related to water & sanitation. Some of the activities include:

• Construction of toilet at two schools viz. Shree Mandaladevi Primary School and Panchakanya Lower Secondary School, benefitting 308 students.
• Completion of 15% of the stone paving and PCC work at Chaukot.
• Completion of 40% of the PCC work for school ground at Bhairab Primary School.
• 60% of the renovation of Palepukhu pond i.e. construction of boundary wall, pond maintenance, wall painting has been done.
• 60% of the construction of surface drain at Chhapgaon Community has been completed
  On the occasion of World Environment Day UEIP and ENPHO organized a plantation programme at Panchakanya Lower Secondary School, Dhulikhel. Altogether, 49 students planted saplings on the periphery of the school.

TESTING OF SOLVATTEN DRINKING WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

ENPHO tested the performance of SOLVATTEN technology, which uses sunlight to treat water in 25 households in Imadole. All the houses were monitored daily to document the experiences, problems and mistakes often made by the users. As there seemed to be some problems with the temperature indicators, an intensive research on indictor was conducted from June 11 to 22, 2009 where the intensity of UV radiation, air and water temperature was measured every half hour.

DECLARATION OF SAFE WATER ZONES

To mark World Environment Day, ENPHO, UN-HABITAT, Bottlers Nepal Limited and UEMS jointly organized a program in Lalitpur to declare 3 communities - Chhusika, Chochein and Lonhala as a “Safe Water Zones”. During the program, the community representatives were honored with certificates of appreciation by Birendra Man Shakya, Chief Guest and Head of Water Quality Improvement and Monitoring Section of Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS). The program promoted simple Household Water Treatment Options (HWT) such as boiling, filtration, chlorination and SODIS and conducted various awareness raising programmes to increase public awareness on safe drinking water. On the same occasion, an Inter-School Art Competition on the theme of “Waterborne Diseases and its prevention measures” had also been organized.

TRAINING ON WATER AND SOIL ANALYSIS

ENPHO organized a three days training was organized on “Water and Soil analysis techniques” for M.Sc students of Integrated Water Resource Management of Nepal Engineering College from June 21-23, 2009. Students were given practical as well as theoretical knowledge of water and soil analysis techniques.

IMPROVEMENTS IN WAPIC

ENPHO has improved the design of the Water Pasteurization through Improved Cookstove (WAPIC) unit by putting a 25 feet long aluminum coil in the chimney of the stove instead of the two 12 feet long coils used earlier. Researchers from ENPHO visited Agrani Aluminum Industry at Simara and obtained 10 pieces of the longer pipes which were coiled to 4 inches diameter helical coil. This coil has been fitted in the Bench model of the WAPIC at ENPHO for testing and analysis.

Similarly, a Combustion chamber WAPIC Bench Model is also being testing at ENPHO. The basic difference between the model mentioned above and this one, is the place of positioning of aluminum coil. The chimney WAPIC model uses the heat of the smoke in the chimney, where as the combustion chamber model uses the heat of the combustion chamber. Beside the diameter of the coil is 8 inches in combustion chamber as compared to 4 inches coil in chimney model. The testing until now shows that, at flow rate of 120-125 ml/min, the water through the combustion coil reaches the pasteurizing temperature (70 degree) within few minutes of firing. At this flow rate, the water output per hour of firing could be about 7 litres per hour.

SWASHTHA PROJECT INITIATES ITS WORK

ENPHO, together with Practical Action and Municipal Association of Nepal is implementing SWASHTHA (Strengthening Water, Air, Sanitation and Hygiene Treasuring Health) ,Project in 7 municipalities (Bharatpur, Butwal, Gularia, Tikapur, Siddharthnagar, Ramgram and Ratnanagar) and 3 small towns (Sunawal, Bardaghat, and Kawasoti,. In this context, School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) campaigns have been launched in ten schools of Patihani and Sharadanagar VDCs which are located just outside Bharatpur Municipality. Schools of Butwal, Gularia and Tikapur municipalities have also been surveyed for implementation of SLTS. Similarly Altogether 18 poor clusters for 4 municipalities, ie Tikapur, Bharatpur, Gularia and Butwal, were selected for project implementation and baseline surveys are being conducted in these clusters.

GUNDU ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM EXPANDS

ENPHO has expanded the Gundu Environmental Sanitation Improvement Program to include all of ward no 6 and 7, which includes 320 households. Community Let Total Sanitation approach has been initiated in ward no.6 and a workshop was organized to orient Watsan Volunteers. The community has also installed a rain water harvesting system in a school, rehabilitated a dug well in ward no.7 and laid down a 2000m long water supply transmission pipe.

CS FILTER DISTRIBUTION

on June 28, ENPHO in collaboration with Karunamay Foundation and Rotract Club of Mid-Town to distribute sixty Colloidal Silver (CL) Filters in Chobar, Kirtipur to promote safe water.

SAFE WATER CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

ENPHO together with Clean Energy Nepal has launched a Safe Water Campaign to promote PIYUSH chlorine solution and other point of use water treatment options. In this regard, 50 City Volunteers were given an orientation. The volunteers will now promote point of use water treatment in schools and communities.

PARTICIPATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

• Biju Dangol, Program Officer of ENPHO participated in the talk program on “Climate Change and Water management” jointly organized by WEPCO and supported by ENPHO on June 3, 2009 at Nightingale International Secondary Boarding School, Kopundole. She has presented on “Water Quality and Point of Water Treatment Options” to 40 students from 18 schools. Another presentation was on “Understanding climate change and its impact on water and environment” by National Trust for Nature Conservation.
• On the occasion of June 5, World Environment Day, Alliance Francaise joined hands with ENPHO to screen the movie HOME. On the occasion, Executive Director of ENPHO, Bhushan Tuladhar also gave a presentation titled “Simple Things You Can do for Your HOME”.
• On June 7, Bhushan Tuladhar gave a presentation at a programme organized by Environmental Conservation Initiative (ECI) to raise awareness on the source separated waste collection and recycling initiatives that is going on in Rato Pul area of Kathmandu. Currently waste from about 500 households is separated at source and collected through a door-to-door collection system and recycled. Following composting and recycling only about 10 percent of the waste is taken for landfilling. This programme is now being expanded to cover 500 more households.
• On 9 June, Bhushan Tuladhar attended a dinner organized by the Embassy of UK to meet Mr. Robin Gwynn, Special Envoy on Climate Change, along with Ms. Sarah Sanyahumbhi, Head of DFID Nepal.
• On 11 June, Bhushan Tuladhar accompanied Mr. Da Zhou from the World Bank on a field visit to the landfill site at Sisdole and the new landfill site constructed at Aletaar.
• On 16 June, Bhushan Tuladhar attended a review meeting organized by the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage and UNICEF on School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) campaigns in Nepal.
• On 25 June, Bhushan Tuladhar attended a meeting of the Steering Committee on Air Quality Management called by the Ministry of Environment. The meeting was being held after a gap of three years. He provided an update on the ambient air quality monitoring programme which has been stopped by the Ministry since March 2009. The meeting agreed that the monitoring should start again immediately after settling all the old bills and maintaining the equipment.

Top

:: LOCAL NEWS ::

NEW WATER USAGE POLICY SOON

KATHMANDU, June 2 - The Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB), which falls under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW), has started formulating a new Water Management Regulation policy for the Valley, officials said. According to Hari Prasad Dhakal, executive director at KVWSMB, the policy will come up with a definite legal framework to control the unmanaged groundwater extraction for commercial purposes by different private and drilling bodies. The work on the policy has been started after consultations with different stakeholders, he said. The policy will encourage optimal use of groundwater sources to minimize the negative impacts caused by the excessive abstraction, according to the official. As a part of policy formulation, a team from KVWSMB is carrying out scientific research on the status of the groundwater sources inside the valley, which has not been conducted in more than a decade. Sharma said the policy will include provision of issuing licenses to suitable private commercial organizations under the legal framework and also charge those companies haphazardly pumping the groundwater. Similarly, a monitoring mechanism will be set up for monitoring illegal extractors like commercial organizations, hotels and private companies. According to Dhakal, the shallow tube wells drilled more than 15 m below the ground level are illegal. The tube wells used for the domestic households are drilled around 7-15 m which do not pose a problem, he said. Meanwhile, hydrologists and environmental experts have already stated that the ground water level of the Kathmandu Valley is sinking alarmingly at an average of over 4 m annually due to excessive groundwater extraction and haphazard construction. The current drinking water supply including from natural sources and groundwater inside valley is about 90 million litres per day (MLD) while the demand is thrice — around 280 MLD due to the increasing population. According to estimates by the Groundwater Resources Development Project (GRDP), between 300 million and 450 million litres of water is pumped in Kathmandu per day. Ideally, water extraction should be limited to 15 million litres per day. The groundwater sources accounts for more than 50 per cent of the total water supply inside the valley by means of shallow, deep tube wells and boring water. Nir Shakya, senior divisional hydrologist at the GRDP, said due to absence of a groundwater act in the country, there is haphazard drilling of tube wells by different private organizations and this in return is sinking the water level at an alarming rate. Due to increasing urbanization along with the human population, most rechargeable zones present in and around the valley are sealed up. The northern parts of the valley — Sundarijal, Shivapuri and Balaju — are the main recharge zones with high transmissivity and good water quality, but these places are mostly under tremendous urbanisation and population pressure, said Shakya.
Source: Nepalresearch.com/infrastructure, 2 June

NEPAL: ECOFARMING – A WINNING COMPLEMENT TO ECOLOGICAL SANITATION

The use of urine diversion toilets in Nepal began about ten years ago with the first WHO efforts in Siddhipur village to promote ecological sanitation. Today, the number of such toilets has expanded to more than a hundred in this village, and to over a thousand toilets in Nepal as a whole. The urine collected from these village toilets is used for fertilizing household vegetable patches. Some households are able to fully use the urine they generate, while others do not and the excess is used by others. These extra volumes are collected by enterprising farmers, [like] Jeevan [who] gave up chicken farming [about five years ago] and switched to vegetable production with eco-farming. Since his change to this eco-friendly method of farming, he has completely given up the use of chemical fertilizers to boost his crops [and] has surplus to sell. He now gets a respectable profit of about 10-15000 Rs. per month [and] saves Rs.1000 or so he used to spend on firewood, and at least 7 000 he spent each year on chemical fertilizers before he began eco-farming. Jeevan saves on firewood through his household-level biogas plant, fueled by the dung from two cows. He uses urine drip irrigation to fertilize an acre of vegetable plots around his house. His biogas plant provides lighting and fuel for cooking twice a day. Others see him as a good example and have begun to learn from him.
Source: sanitationupdates.wordpress.com, 4 June

SUNSARI WATER HAS ARSENIC CONTENT: REPORT

Inaruwa: Water in 28 villages of Sunsari District has been found with arsenic contamination while water of six of these villages has been badly affected by the same contamination. The report of arsenic contamination was made public at a programme held to minimize arsenic contamination and to decontaminate drinking water. The programme was organized by Nepal Red Cross Society. At the programme held under the cooperation of UNICEF and CAWAT, it was informed that the level of arsenic contamination must be minimized to save people from a disease named arsenicosis, which is caused by the consumption of arsenic contaminated water. As arsenic agents have no smell, colour and shape, people may not be fully aware even while using arsenic contaminated water. The six villages of the district where high amount of arsenic contamination was found are Haripur, Pakali, Madhyarsahi, Paschim Kuswah and Sripur. Water of about 400 tube-wells of these six villages has been found with more than 50 ppb of arsenic contamination. According the Drinking Water Quality Fixation Department, water having up to 50 ppb contamination is potable.

At the programme, Nepal Red Cross Society provided one-day training on the minimization of the arsenic contamination and drinking water disinfection techniques to 22 journalists of the district.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 5 June

10TH NATIONAL SANITATION WEEK KICKS OFF

KATHMANDU: 10th National Sanitation Action Week (NSAW) started on Friday with the slogan of ‘we are proud of having toilets in our homes’ in the initiation of Nepal Red Cross Society. Speaking at the opening programme organized in the capital, Purna Kumari Subedi, vice chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, stressed the need for awareness about personal hygiene and sanitation among the common people. She further said people’s health rights should be guaranteed in the constitution to be drafted. Gillian Mellsop, a UNICEF representative, said personal hygiene is crucial for a child’s survival, growth and development.

She informed that a decade long programme has been creating awareness and encouraging people to construct latrines and wash hands with soaps. Mellsop hinted that nearly half of the diarrhoeal cases can be reduced by proper hand washing. She blamed lack of water supply to be responsible for poor sanitation. “Only 46 per cent households have access to toilets and 80 per cent to water supply in Nepal,” Mellsop revealed. She said the UNICEF has been trying to coordinate all the stake-holders to bring about behaviour changes in sanitation related behavior among mothers, children and youths. The programme will also focus on capacity building activities among the youths so that they can advocate for sanitation and hygiene.

Uma Kanta Jha, secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, said the country should formulate specific plans and policies regarding sanitation to achieve 2017 Millennium Development Goals. He sought help from various NGOs for this campaign.
Source: The Himalayan Times, 6 June

BOTTLERS NEPAL-UN HABITAT TIE HANDS

KATHMANDU: Water for Asian Cities programme of UN-HABITAT in Nepal and Bottlers Nepal Limited are set to install rainwater harvesting system in historical ponds located in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts. The bid is believed to recharge sinking water aquifer caused by over-extraction of groundwater and climate change.

The two parties signed an agreement on Friday to work together on rainwater harvesting at a number of places in collaboration with the communities. The partnership plans to employ indigenous ways of harvesting rain for groundwater recharge in select communities in Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City. According to the pact, LSMC and Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Management Board would be working together, technically aided by Centre for Integrated Urban Development. This initiative is claimed to be an example of public private partnership. The project is said to be crucial in generating the source of traditional stone spouts in the work areas.

Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor, South Asia, UN-HABITAT, Water for Asian Cities Programme said, “Global warming has posed a challenge to humanity by causing unpredictable change in ecology.” He said the initiative would conserve 40,000 kiloliters of rain water, besides encouraging communities to conserve water and protect its traditional sources. Saumendra Bhattacharya, country manager, Bottlers Nepal Limited, said, “Water is fundamental to all communities. Climate change, lack of proper management of water sources and over-extraction of groundwater are the major causes of water crisis in Kathmandu.” Piped water supply in the valley is a chunk of the demand. Alternatively, stone spouts, well and pools have served a large number of people.
Source: www.newsnow.co.uk , The Himalayan Times, 7 June

SAVE VALLEY RIVERS: ENVIRONMENTALISTS

On the occasion of 30th World Environment Day-2009 on June 5, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Naya Bazaar Land Pulling Project and Naya Bazar Land Pulling Consumers’ Committee jointly organized a saplings plantation programme on the Bishnumati River bank on Friday morning. More than 500 saplings were planted on the river side at around 1.5 km area from Balaju Bridge of Gongabu to Shova Bhagawati Temple. Sapling plantation activity was carried out as per a tripartite three-year agreement among NMA, Naya Bazaar Land Pulling Project and Consumers’ Committee. NMA has owned its responsibility to take care of the Bishnumati River area and making the area green and pollution free. "After the completion of three year term, NMA will hand over the area’s conservation responsibility to the locals," Ranjan Krishna Aryal, coordinator of NMA said. On the occasion, school students, executive director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Narayan Gopal Malego, Megh Ale of Nepal River Conservation Trust, Dr. Uttar Kumar Regmi, chairman of Naya Bazaar Land Pulling Project, Jyoti Adhikari, president of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, Gopal Kharel of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents and locals have jointly involved in the plantation programme. Expressing a view on the World Environment Day, they have urged to take immediate step to revive the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers civilization and to give historic rivers a fresh look. Government level initiative, strong policies and laws are equally essential in keeping environment pollution free, they said. Meanwhile, coinciding with World Environment Day2009, the UN-HABITAT Asian Cities for Water Programme and Coca cola Company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for operating and establishing rain water harvesting system in the two cities of the Kathmandu Valley amidst a programme in the capital Friday. As per the understanding, water tanks for collecting rainwater will be erected will be set up at a viable place in coordination with Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Management Board of both Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts. Necessary technical supports and coordination will be provided by Unified Urban Development Centre, a press release issued by Guthi said. Guthi said that they have felt it necessity to set up rainwater harvesting system tanks in most of the localities in Lalitpur and Kathmandu as both city dwellers are still dependent on water generated from various sources like stone taps, wells and ponds. Every year, people across the globe are marking June 5 as the World Environment Day. This year’s Environment Day across the country is being marked with a slogan ‘Your Planet Needs You! Million Will Unite to Combat Change for World Environment.’
Source: The Rising Nepal, 8 June

BAGMATI FESTIVAL ORGANIZED

With the hundreds of descendents on the bank of the Bishnumati River, the opening ceremony of Bagmati River Festival-2009 was conducted by Nepal River Conservation Trust. The programme was marked on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5). The programme included clean-up cum plantation along the bank of the Bishnumati River at Shova Bhagawati temple. The Bishnumati River being one of the tributaries of the Bagmati River, the programme was organized here. Nepal River Conservation Trust has been organizing the Bagmati River Festival since 2001. The Festival is the two and half month long programme, from June to August. This year, the main focus is on the Bishnumati River. The programme started with the introduction of priests of different religion. The priests poured water of different rivers like Baghdwar, Ganga from India, Trishuli, Bhotekoshi, Kaligandaki, Sunkoshi, Tamakoshi, Seti, Karnali, Marasyangdi, Tamor, Arun and Mahakali, The priests described the important of rivers according to their religion. All the priests prayed and musical instruments like ‘Panche Baja’ were played. The collected water was brought to the river and poured. Plantation was done in the bank of the river. Narayan Gopal Malegu, Executive Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan city, Mahesh Bahadur Basnet, President of Highpower Integrated Bagmati Civilization Committee, Ranjan Krishna Aryal, Pro-secretary of Nepal Mountaineering Committee, and many other stakeholders gave their views regarding the importance of the Environment Day and the rivers. About 500 participants participated at the programme. Stakeholders of different organizations, volunteers from different organizations, schools, colleges, and staffs of Kathmandu Metropolitan City participated.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 8 June

RIVERS HEADED TO DRY UP, STUDY FINDS

Rivers in Nepal will soon dry up after witnessing an increase of the volume of water for a short period, said a study made public Sunday. The study carried out by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre has stressed on saving mountains to maintain water level in the rivers. Speaking at a a seminar organised by Eco- Friend Nepal here, the participants called for immediate measures to fight climate change. Four different working papers related to environment conservation were presented at the function organised to mark the 30th World Environment Day with the slogan ' The earth has demanded unity among us to fight climate change.' Dr Narayan Chaulagain, centre director said that the climate change had not only hit environment but also social and economic sectors. The Himalayas are melting down alarmingly and we must stop it, said Namindra Dahal of National Nature Conservation Fund. Youths should play a constructive role to raise voice in the international forums to protect environment, said Manu Shrestha, an official from World Wildlife Fund. Umesh Prasad Mainali, secretary at the Ministry from Environment, Science and Technology said that the government had planned to implement the climate change related policies and laws.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 8 June

OPEN TOILET FREE ZONE

In a bid to promote the use of toilet, Bhoteodar village of Lumjung has been declared as an open toilet free zone. The initiative has been taken jointly by local schools and the Drinking Water & Sanitation Division office. With a view to encouraging the local to use toilets, the office has constructed toilets in 1078 household of the district. Kamal Aryal and Engineer working wit the office, toilets were being constructed in all the houses to improve the level of sanitation. After the announcement, teachers and students of 6 community schools took out a rally and performed cultural programs expressing their happiness. As part of marking the National Sanitation Week, the children recited poems and songs with the message of using toilets.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 8 June

NEPAL: “ILLEGAL” WATER TRADING COMMON PRACTICE IN RURAL AREAS

Drinking water sources located on public lands are being purchased and sold illegally for millions of rupees after old sources have dried up. The residents of Dewal and Kanakot, Dadeldhura district in Far Western Nepal, who have been looking for a water source for the past 4 years, have purchased one from a teacher in the neighboring village of Bhukuda for Rs. 0.8 million (US$ 10,800 = € 7,800). One of the three drinking water projects in Dewal had to be postponed due to a lack of water. A neighboring village demanded Rs. 1 million (US$ 12,900 = € 9,800) to share their water source but this was unaffordable for the people in Dewal. “The existing law does not permit trade of water sources,” said chief district officer of Dadeldhura, Parshuram Aryal, adding, “It is a big crime to sell natural heritage.” However, disputes occur in many villages regarding ownership and use of water sources.
Source: www.irc.nl, 3 June

EMPHASIZING AWARENESS ON WED

Amidst the presence of environmentalist, students and French delegates, Alliance Francaise Kathmandu(AFK) and Environment & Public Health Organization (ENPHO) jointly celebrated the World Environment Day (WED) 2009 on June 5 at AFK premises. The event begins with an hour long presentation by Bhushan Tuladhar, executive director of ENPHO. He talked about the current environmental problems in Nepal and favorable solutions to these problems. He pointed out solid waste management, air pollution, water pollution and drinking water shortage as the major environmental problems, esp. in urban areas. He offered some simple and effective solutions to these problems- composition of degradable solid wastes, rain water harvesting, cleaner cooking stove and environment friendly fuel. He emphasized on public awareness, “People should start adopting ecofriendly techniques in their home to reduce environment problems. Locally available materials and techniques and effective.” At the event Philip Martin Director of Alliance Francaise, demonstrated rain water harvesting system that was recently installed in the Alliance Française office. A free screening of Home, a documentary about the negative impacts of human on the ecosystem was also held directed by French photographer Yaan Arthus- Bertrand; Home has shown how invasion of Homo-sapiens in the ecosystem has invited the present disaster. The Director has travelled across 50 countries, including Nepal capturing shots of places from the sky. These shots visualize destruction that the Earth’s ecosystem is enduring due to human activities. Jean Romnicianu, Charge de affaires of French Embassy. In Nepal said, “The movie will help raise awareness regarding in environment problems in people at global level”. On June 5 the film was screened in 120 countries through national television channels, and theaters.
Source: The Himalayan Times, 12 June

NINE VILLAGES FACING WATER SHORTAGE IN BANKE

Nine villages with more than 1300 people of Banke District are facing severe water shortage as the rivers they have been using as water sources have dried out. Since there was no facility of safe drinking water supplied by the government authority, the residents of these villages were bound to drink water from the rivers and now they are having serious problem as the rivers have also dried out. The villagers had to walk for four to five hours daily to fetch water. "We are facing a serious problem as we don’t have even the dirty water at rivers that we had been drinking", said Gaibir Magar, resident of Kuntapani village. "We don’t have much problem during the rainy season but in summer we don’t have water so we have to walk for four to five hours daily to get water," added Magar. "We are forced to drink dirty water of the river like animals as we don’t have other source of water such as piped water supplied by the government" said Mansara Thapa, a local resident. The women of the village have to walk for four hours to get the water. People of the villages often get diarrhea and other diseases because of dirty drinking water and we have to walk for two hours to India side of health posts for treatment, said the residents. These villages have not so far recognised as the village development committees. When Chief District Officer of Banke went to the villages, villagers asked him for drinking water, health posts and police posts. District Administrative Office, Banke, has provided one school and a mobile health camp but no facilities for safe drinking water. There are nine villages in Banke district which is at the east of Baijapur VDC-3, south of Khaskusma VDC, west of Mahuwa check point of Dang and north of Nepal-India border pillar number 86 and 87. The villages are Baskhola, Chunmandi, Khairibhatti, Kuntepani, Ambas, Gurdangauri, Murkatta, Bhauria and Banwa.
Source: The Rising Nepal, 19 June 

Top

---

:: GLOBAL NEWS ::

UGANDA, KAMULI DISTRICT: WATER SCARCITY LEADS TO DIVORCE

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has said the scarcity of water sources in Kamuli district has led to many women being divorced and beaten by their husbands. Kadaga said women walked long distances to collect water, and when they delayed; their husbands beat them because they suspected that they were having affairs. She said the problem was common in Buyende sub-county. [...] She made the remarks at a meeting with officials from the World Malayalee Council, an Indian NGO, led by its Africa regional chairman, Chacko Babu, [...] at Parliament. “Kamuli has 18 sub-counties and over 100 parishes but there are cases where four villages share one water source and others do not have,” Kadaga said. The vice-chairperson of the Indian Association of Uganda, said his NGO was assessing the water situation in the district to construct more water sources. He said he met with investors in India who were interested in building a modern health centre in the district.
Source: washafrica.wordpress.com, 1 June

DRINKING WATER FROM AIR HUMIDITY

Not a plant to be seen, the desert ground is too dry. But the air contains water, and research scientists have found a way of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based completely on renewable energy and is therefore autonomous.

Cracks permeate the dried-out desert ground; the landscape bears testimony to the lack of water. But even here, where there are no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable quantities of water are stored in the air. In the Negev desert in Israel, for example, annual average relative air humidity is 64 percent – in every cubic meter of air there are 11.5 milliliters of water.

Research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart working in conjunction with their colleagues from the company Logos Innovationen have found a way of converting this air humidity autonomously and decentrally into drinkable water. “The process we have developed is based exclusively on renewable energy sources such as thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, which makes this method completely energy-autonomous. It will therefore function in regions where there is no electrical infrastructure,” says Siegfried Egner, head of department at the IGB. The principle of the process is as follows: hygroscopic brine – saline solution which absorbs moisture – runs down a tower-shaped unit and absorbs water from the air. It is then sucked into a tank a few meters off the ground in which a vacuum prevails. Energy from solar collectors heats up the brine, which is diluted by the water it has absorbed. Because of the vacuum, the boiling point of the liquid is lower than it would be under normal atmospheric pressure. This effect is known from the mountains: as the atmospheric pressure there is lower than in the valley, water boils at temperatures distinctly below 100 degrees Celsius. The evaporated, non-saline water is condensed and runs down through a completely filled tube in a controlled manner. The gravity of this water column continuously produces the vacuum and so a vacuum pump is not needed. The reconcentrated brine runs down the tower surface again to absorb moisture from the air.
“The concept is suitable for various sizes of installation. Single-person units and plants supplying water to entire hotels are conceivable,” says Egner. Prototypes have been built for both system components – air moisture absorption and vacuum evaporation – and the research scientists have already tested their interplay on a laboratory scale. In a further step the researchers intend to develop a demonstration facility.
Source: Sciencedaily.com, 8 June

AFRICA: COCA-COLA COMMITS US $30 MILLION FOR DRINKING WATER PROJECTS

The Coca-Cola Company announced on 16 March 2009 that it has committed US $30 million over the next six years to provide access to safe drinking water to communities throughout Africa through its Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN). Implemented by The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, RAIN will provide at least 2 million Africans with clean water and sanitation by 2015. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation currently has water projects in 19 African countries – Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia – reaching over 300,000 people. These water projects are all implemented in partnership with local communities in each country. They also contribute to The Coca-Cola Company’s [...] goal of returning to communities and to nature an amount of water equivalent to what [it uses] in all of [its] beverages and their production.
Source: www.csrwire.com, 10 June

MADAGASCAR: EDUCATION HAMPERED BY LACK OF CLEAN WATER

Lack of hygiene and sanitation are major problems in schools in Madagascar, where most have no access to running water. Many school children fall sick, cannot attend classes and therefore perform badly. The government has promised to improve sanitation in schools, but has so far not backed this up with action. Diorano Wash, a national network of more than 150 NGOs, has launched a clean water initiative in 400 Malagasy schools which enables pupils to wash their hands at least once a day. Diorano Wash national coordinator Herivelo Rakotondrainibe says that the need for running water was not included in the national school construction programme. The problem is most urgent in rural areas. In many rural schools children are told to bring a bottle of water to wash and for drinking. Until the government implements sanitation systems in schools, teachers and pupils will continue to rely on initiatives, like Diorano Wash, which depend on funding from international donors. UNICEF and USAID have so far spent US$ 4 million (€ 2.8 million) on school hygiene programmes in Madagascar.
Source: www.irc.nl, 2 June

REVEALED: WHY YOUR TAP HAS MORE GERMS THAN YOUR TOILET HANDLE

The kitchen tap is dirtier and carries more harmful bugs than the toilet handle in millions of homes, research has found. And 80% of the cloths used to wipe down kitchen surfaces were found to contain a dangerous mix of bacteria. Swab tests by the Hygiene Council found one third of kitchen taps carried unsatisfactory levels of bacteria compared to 15% of toilet handles. 14% of the taps had relatively high rates of the potentially deadly E.coli bug, compared to 6% of the handles. Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause illnesses including pneumonia if it enters the body, was found on 8% of the taps and more than a fifth had high levels of pseudomonas, making the cloths smell pungent. Most of the bugs are carried on toilet users' hands if they fail to wash them properly and then are spread through contact. Similarly, food poisoning bugs such as campylobacter or salmonella from chicken can be spread around the kitchen with the cloths. Other bacterial hot spots include babies' high chairs, chopping boards, TV remote controls and telephones. Surprisingly, the study found the toilet door handle was spotless in 75 per cent of homes, making it the cleanest of the locations tested. The Hygiene Council said the findings were alarming, particularly as the swine flu pandemic is being spread by sneezes and a failure to wash hands and surfaces effectively. John Oxford, chairman of the Hygiene Council, said: 'The importance of targeted disinfection of key hygiene hotspots in the home is paramount. Practicing good hygiene is something we can all do to break the chain of infection and protect ourselves and our families.' The research, supported by Dettol, gathered information from 20 homes in the UK, Australia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the U.S..
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article, 16 June

VIET NAM: EVEN BOTTLED WATER UNSAFE

In early 2009 tests by health officials showed widespread contamination of municipal tap and bottled water: High levels of nitrates and arsenic, which can cause cancer, were found, as was e-coli, which causes diarrhoea. Tran Van Nhi, a scientist at the Vietnam Institute of Biotechnology, told IRIN Hanoi’s water was heavily contaminated with ammonia: “It is 6-18 times higher than the allowed level.” Nhi also found arsenic levels two to three times higher than acceptable WHO standards. Most residents boil drinking water as a matter of course, even though high temperatures do not remove arsenic or dangerous heavy metals. In recent years, as incomes have risen, more people have been buying bottled water. 20-litre jugs that sell for around 50 US cents are affordable for most Vietnamese. However, tests on hundreds of brands across the country reveal that bottled water cannot be trusted either. Dozens of samples failed safety standard tests in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2009. “We detected bacterium in our samples, mainly coliform and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” said Le Truong Giang, deputy director of the city’s health department. Pseudomonas aeruginosa can lead to sepsis and death. Antiquated water pipes leading from treatment plants to individual households leak, enabling dangerous contaminants to leach in. The long-term solution is to upgrade municipal water supply systems but this requires massive investment. “Water treatment plants can’t meet water demand in the big urban areas,” said Ton. “From now to 2020, Hanoi [which currently produces 600,000 cubic metres of water a day] will have to produce more than one million cubic metres,” to meet demand, said Nguyen Ton, chairman of Vietnam’s Water Supply and Sewage Association in Hanoi. The need to nearly double current capacity will require investment in infrastructure that Hanoi cannot afford, according to Ton.
Source: washasia.wordpress.com, 16 June

KENYA: ACUTE WATERY DIARRHOEA KILLS EIGHT IN COAST PROVINCE

MOMBASA, 18 June 2009 (IRIN) - An outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) has killed eight people and infected 21 others in Kenya's Coast Province, according medical sources. Over the past two weeks two deaths were reported in Mombasa, three in Kilifi District and three others in health centres in Malindi District. "We are still receiving more patients from various parts of the province who have been diagnosed with the ailment. However, we are doing everything possible to provide the necessary treatment needed," Helton Maganga, chief administrator at the Coast Provincial General Hospital, the largest referral hospital in the province, told IRIN on 18 June. Maganga said a special ward had been set aside to cater for the AWD patients. The outbreak was attributed to poor sanitation and lack of clean drinking water following heavy rain in most parts of the province which has destroyed sewage pipes and swept away pit latrines. The most affected areas are Kilifi and Malindi districts. In Mombasa, those affected are in Mishomoroni, Kongowea, Kisauni and Likoni estates where sewerage systems have burst. David Katana, a resident of Mishomoroni estate in Mombasa who was admitted to hospital, fell ill a week ago. "I started to diarrhoea, vomit and was feeling dizzy but I had no idea that I had contracted the disease; when I was brought to hospital I was told that I had it," he said.
Source: IRIN news, 19 June

KENYA: WATER SHORTAGE INCREASES CHOLERA TOLL

An acute water shortage in parts of eastern and northeastern Kenya is fuelling the spread of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) and cholera, with deaths from new cases being reported, a senior health official has said. “People are resorting to drinking water from anywhere because of the shortage,” Shahnaaz Sharif, director of public health in the Ministry of Public Health, told IRIN.
“Recently, four deaths have been reported in Garbatulla [District] where about 280 AWD cases have been reported in the last three weeks,” Sharif said, adding that samples from those affected had been collected for laboratory testing. [...] “In total, 24 cholera deaths and 1,452 cases of diarrhoea have been recorded since January [2009],” he said. Inadequate sanitation has exacerbated the situation. “We only have one toilet for 600 pupils. It is the main reason why our school has been affected,” Sora Boru, a head teacher at Bullesa primary school in Isiolo, told IRIN. “Many children have [not] reported for school… Parents are keeping them at home. Hygiene awareness campaigns have been intensified in the water-scarce region. According to Yussuf Ali, a trader, the price of bottled water has increased. “A half litre [bottle] of water is selling at Ksh.100 [about US$1.3]… even higher than petrol.
Source: washafrica.wordpress.com, 22 June 

Top 

---

:: DID YOU KNOW ::

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION KILLS THOUSANDS EVERY YEAR

Bangladesh, Dhaka, 18 June 2009 - Over 46,000 people die of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in Bangladesh each year due to indoor air pollution (IAP), according to Andrew Trevett, acting country representative for the World Health Organization (WHO). His findings and those of others set out at a workshop in Dhaka on 15 June revealed that 70 percent of IAP victims were children under five. Here are the other main findings:

• The risk of diseases like pneumonia, asthma, low birth weight, cardiovascular failure and tuberculosis among children doubles due to IAP.

• Cooking, heating with solid fuels on open fires or traditional stoves results in high levels of IAP.

• Some 4 percent of all diseases in Bangladesh can be attributed to IAP.

• IAP from burning wood, animal dung and other solid bio fuels is a major cause of ALRI.

• Over 92 percent of households in Bangladesh use solid bio fuel for cooking purposes, releasing toxic substances like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and high levels of harmful particulate matter.

• Lack of proper ventilation in most kitchens contributes towards the heavy concentration of particulate matter indoors.

• The level of particulate matter inside a kitchen using solid bio fuel is 30-35 times more than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard.

• Women and children are particularly vulnerable as they spend most of their time indoors.

• Low-income groups are particularly vulnerable as they can only afford solid bio fuel.

• ALRI is responsible for 59 percent of all premature deaths among infants, mostly in Asia and Africa.

• In developing countries, respiratory infection caused by IAP accounts for 1.6-2 million deaths a year. Around one million of the dead are children.

• More than three billion people worldwide continue to depend on solid fuels like biomass fuels and coal for their daily energy needs (WHO).

• Ventilation could be one of the most important interventions to reduce the risk of indoor air pollution.

• Incomplete combustion of biomass emits powerful greenhouse gas pollutants including methane and carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

• IAP is a leading threat to public health in South Asia, along with malnutrition and lack of safe drinking water.

• Bringing about a change in the traditional cooking system would not be possible overnight, but is a priority.

• IAP is responsible for 2.7 percent of the global burden of disease (WHO).
  Source: IRIN News, 19 June
  Top 

Any part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from ENPHO, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. ENPHO would appreciate receiving a copy of any material that uses this publication as a source.

Edited by: Bhushan Tuladhar & Rabin Bastola

Designed by: Babukaji Magar

---

To unsubscribe please email us at: rc@enpho.org with "unsubscription" in the subject field.

Environment and Public Health Organization
G.P.O. Box 4102
110/25 Aadarsha Marg, Naya Baneshwor
Kathmandu, NEPAL
Phone: 977-1- 4468 641 / 4493 188
Fax: 977-1- 4491 376
Email: rc@enpho.org
Website: http://www.enpho.org