WASH Media Fellowship 2010 Announced
In order to promote effective reporting on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) issues by the media, WASH-RCNN (Resource Centre Network Nepal) in association with Nepal Node for Sustainable Sanitation/Environment and Public Health Organization (NNSS/ENPHO) and one of the International Climate Champion (announced by British Council in 2009) announce Media Fellowship Programme, which will provide some financial and technical support for selected journalists to conduct in-depth research and publish/broadcast news stories or features on interesting case studies, particularly from remote areas where the eyes of the media rarely reach. Altogether 22 Nepalese Journalists will get fellowship. To read more,click here.

Promoting 7B Toilets
Under SWASHTHA – “Strengthening Water, Air, Sanitation and Hygiene Treasuring Health” project, low cost sanitation is gaining popularity. Fulfilling requirement minimum technical requirement for construction, at the moment, SWASTHA has been successful in encouraging sub-urban and peri-urban poor building low cost toilets using the concept of 7B. To read more,click here.

National Hygiene and Sanitation Master Plan (HSMP) drafted
National Hygiene and Sanitation Master Plan (NHSMP) has almost been finalized. The Steering Committee for National Sanitation Action (SCNSA) chaired by Director General of Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) has been coordinating the process to prepare this plan. The committee hopes to endorse this plan from the government soon. To read more,click here.
 

Learning Web Based Social Media
Information managers at WASH sector organisations learned the basics of twittering and blogging at a training workshop on Writing for the Web and Use of Social Media organized on 11 and 12 March 2010 in Lalitpur, Nepal. To read more, click here

Scoping of Triple-S in Nepal
WASH-RCNN together with the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) in Nepal and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre are carrying out a scoping study in Nepal on sustainable services at scale (also called Triple-S). To read more, click here

Policy for Conservation of Traditional Water Sources Needed
Participants of the follow up workshop to review 12-point declaration made on June 2007 for the conservation of traditional stone spouts and water sources stressed on the need of a clear policy for conservation of traditional stone spouts and water sources. To read more, click here
 

Face-book of Drinking Water Quality

Unsafe water and sanitation is still one of the biggest environmental health risks for Nepal. Every year there are diarrheal and choleric outbreak in Nepal and one reverberating clamor is about the huge number of loss of young children. This is a big professional and moral responsibility among the vanguards of water and sanitation professionals in Nepal. Indeed the challenges are daunting, yet different mechanism and models exist to solve this burden of disease. These include raising awareness to general public on National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS), incorporating Water Safety Plans (WSP) to achieve NDWQS, building local entrepreneurship for sustainable promotion of Point of Use (POU) drinking water treatment options , water quality monitoring and database management, and so on. But one of the crux of these various method and mechanism stands on establishing simple yet effective communication mechanism to combat problems associated with poor water quality, inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices. In the wake of World Water Day 2010, let’s share the key messages, lessons learnt, experiences, insights and innovative ideas on water quality and discuss to create simplicity out of complexity. 

Article by:Bipin Dangol, Program Manager, Water Quality Programme, Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO). 
To read more, click here.