“Towards Total Sanitation in the Karnali Region”
SNV Nepal team has produced an interesting movie called “Towards Total Sanitation in the Karnali Region”. Click here to watch the movie online.

DVDs for water experts launched
DVDs on International hydrology and water resources that contains all reports of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme, Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate (CPWC), the Value of Water series of UNESCO-IHE, the publication ‘Managing the Water Buffer for Development and Climate Change Adaptation, IUCN’s Water Governance series, the Perspective Papers on Water and Climate Change adaptation produced for the 5th World Water Forum by the World Water Council, CPWC, IUCN and IWA, and a special UNESCO version of MLU, a groundwater modeling package among others is launched with financial support from the Netherlands Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. Students and experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal are advised to write to water@unesco.org for DVD copies.
 

Participation at Bangladesh Conference
Participation at the Bangladesh Conference provided an opportunity for good networking among information and knowledge managers of South Asia region says the National Coordinator of WASH-RCNN who participated in the Bangladesh Conference on ‘Improving Research Infrastructures with Social Media’. The conference aimed at helping institutes in Bangladesh and surrounding countries to develop effective research infrastructures by strengthening information skills of students, researchers, policy-makers and individual practitioners in the field of global development studies and research. To learn more about the conference, click here.
 

Mobile toilet in limbo!

In developing countries like Nepal, sanitation and hygiene practices remains a key health challenge and is often neglected by both government and people. Due to lack of basic health and sanitation facilities hundreds of people die every year due to the outbreak of different communicable diseases in rural parts of the country. While rural places in the country are highly neglected in terms of proper hygiene and sanitation facilities, the urban cities are experiencing dramatic population growth and urbanization which has ultimately affected the sanitation facilities too.

Kathmandu Valley is facing serious challenge of access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Due to upsurge in population growth and unplanned urbanization, the city lacks space for public toilets and the concept of portable mobile toilet was launched couple of years ago jointly by Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Kathmandu Solid Waste Management Service with technical support from UN-HABITAT. However, the concept of installing more mobile toilet and promoting this eco-friendly, easily accessible and innovative initiative to improve the sanitation and contribute for green economy and environment has failed to hail a success due to misconception about the use of mobile toilet and improper coordination of the local people and concerned authorities.

Article by: Pragati Shahi, Reporter, The Kathmandu Post.

Click here to read full story.
 

Hanumante River turning into dumping site
The Hanumante River in Bhaktapur district, which is famous from the religious point of view, has been converted into dumping site as a result of the haphazard disposal of solid waste in last 15 years, a new study stated. To read more, click here.