A stakeholders meeting called by the Ugrachandi Nala Village Development Committee (VDC) on 10th May 2012 decided to make the VDC an Open Defecation (ODF) Zone within 2012. The meeting attended by the major political party representatives and the Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage Office, Kavre committed to work together to achieve the target.
Acknowledging the contribution made by the Center for integrated Urban Development (CIUD) in the area, it has been nominated a member in the Village Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee (V-WASHCC) in a meeting chaired by the Ward Secretary of Ugrachandi Nala VDC.
A stakeholders meeting called by the Ugrachandi Nala Village Development Committee (VDC) on 10th May 2012 decided to make the VDC an Open Defecation (ODF) Zone within 2012. The meeting attended by the major political party representatives and the Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage Office, Kavre committed to work together to achieve the target.
Acknowledging the contribution made by the Center for integrated Urban Development (CIUD) in the area, it has been nominated a member in the Village Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee (V-WASHCC) in a meeting chaired by the Ward Secretary of Ugrachandi Nala VDC.
Biswanath Shrestha, civil engineer with CIUD is enthralled with this decision. He said, “Our experiences could be amplified to achieve the targets in a better way and this decision provided a good platform for us working together in more coordinated manner.”
CIUD has been working throughout Ugrachandi Nala VDC since 2009 to implement its innovative Community Led Urban Environmental Sanitation (CLUES) approach in partnership with EAWAG and UN Habitat to improve the WASH situation.
Dik Prasad Dhakal, Secretary at Ugrachandi Nala VDC thanked CIUD being associated with their sanitation initiative and expressed his expectations that CIUD will help it translating at the ground level. He informed that the ward wise follow up community meetings to strategize the commitment on ODF shall commence from 18th May onwards.
Government of Nepal has been taking various initiatives to achieve the universal coverage in WASH by 2017 after the President Dr Ram Baran Yadav officially launched the Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan-2011 on 29 September 2011. During the recent years Chitwan and Kaski Districts have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone. Several villages in the country are on the race to meet the targets.
Nepal needs to provide a complete sanitation package including cleanliness of houses and their surrounding, offices, schools, toilets, and safe water supply to 53 per cent households by 2015 to meet the Millennium Development Goal. However, only 43 per cent households are toilet users in the country at present.
The master plan aims to make toilet accessible to 60 percent households in the fiscal year 2012/13, expand the hygiene programme to 80 per cent households by 2014/15 and 100 per cent by 2016/17.
Report- Suraj Rajbhandari