KMC to field 10,000 volunteers for 'clean Kathmandu' campaign

Source: The Kathmandu Post (28th March, 2012)

Bird flu found in another Lalitpur farm

Bird flu found in another Lalitpur farm

KATHMANDU, MAR 25 - 

Two days after around 6,000 bird-flu-infected chickens were slaughtered at a poultry farm in Bhaisepati, authorities on Sunday detected the virus in chickens at another farm. The new outbreak site is around 50-metres away from the earlier farm.

According to Chief of the District Veterinary Office, Mogal Prasad Sah, the farm has been sealed after the bird flu virus was detected in the fowls. More than 2,000 chickens have been slaughtered in the farm.

Authorities have sprung into action and sealed other farms nearby after chickens started dying in the area one week ago. “We have deployed personnel to look for other outbreaks in the area,” Sah said.

However, according to Ram Krishna Khatiwada, programme director at the National Animal Health, the virus detected on Sunday was “just the carry-over” of the flu that was confirmed on March 23.“Since the two farms stand at a distance of 50 metres, it was already suspected that both the farms could have the flu,” he said.

Posted on: 2012-03-26 09:04

Source : The Kathmandu Post 

तिब्र हुदैछ बर्ड फ़्लु संक्रमन

स्रोत: कान्तिपुर दैनिक, १३ चैत्र, २०६८

Bird flu again in Kathmandu

March 18, 2012/Kathmandu

Source: Kantipur Daily/March 18, 2012

महानगर सफा गर्न लाख स्वयंसेवक

महानगर सफा गर्न लाख स्वयंसेवक

काठमाडौ, फाल्गुन २९ - 

काठमाडौं महानगरपालिकाले उपत्यकाको सरसफाइका लागि स्वयंसेवक परिचालन गर्ने भएको छ । त्यसका लागि चैतको अन्तिम साताबाट करिब १ लाख स्वयंसेवक परिचालन गर्ने तयारी गरेको महानगरले जनाएको छ । महानगरका प्रत्येक घरबाट एकजना स्वयंसेवक तयार गर्ने महानगरको योजना छ ।

बढ्दो सहरीकरण र फोहोर व्यवस्थापनका लागि थालिएको अभियानलाई महानगरले 'काठमाडांै सरसफाइ अभियान' नाम दिएको छ । महानगर वातावरण विभाग प्रमुख रविनमान श्रेष्ठले प्रथम चरणमा एकसाता सरसफाइ अभियान चलाउने तयारी भइरहेको भन्दै दीर्घकालीन समस्या समाधानका बारेमा पनि सरोकारवाला निकायसँग छलफल भएको बताए । 

सरसफाइ अभियानमा मन्त्री, सभासद, राजनीतिक दलका नेता, नागरिक समाज, नेपाली सेना, प्रहरी, सशस्त्र प्रहरी, सरकारी कर्मचारी परिचालन गरिने उनले बताए । त्यसैका साथै नेपाल चेम्बर अर्फ कमर्स, उद्योग वाणिज्य महासंघ, रोटरी र लायन्स क्लब लगायतका संघसंस्थाको सहभागिता रहनेछ । सम्बन्धित वडामा रहेका गैरसरकारी संस्था, सरकारी तथा निजी विद्यालयको पनि सहभागिता रहने उनले बताए । 'प्रत्येक घरघरबाट एकजना सदस्य स्वैच्छिक रूपमा सहभागी हुन आह्वान  गर्छौं,' उनले भने, 'त्यसका लागि बृहत् तयारी गर्दै छांै ।' 

सरसफाइ अभियानका लागि स्थानीय विकासमन्त्री टोपबहादुर रायमाझीको संयोजकत्वमा समिति गठन गरेको छ । त्यसैगरी महानगरका कार्यकारी अधिकृत केदारबहादुर अधिकारीको नेतृत्वमा कार्यान्वयन समिति गठन गरिएको छ । सरसफाइ अभियान प्रस्तावलाई महानगरको बोर्ड बैठकले पनि पारित गरेको छ । महानगरका कार्यकारी अधिकृत केदारबहादुर अधिकारीले महानगरलाई साँच्चिकै मेट्रो सिटी बनाउन सरसफाइ अभियानमात्र नभई धेरै कुरा गर्न बाँकी रहेको बताए । 'महानगरका संरचनाको राम्ररी विकास भएका नै छैनभन्दा पनि हुन्छ, त्यसकारण त्यो बनाउन विभिन्न निकायको सहयोग नभई हुँदैन,' उनले भने । सरसफाइ नै महानगरको मुहार भएकाले त्यसको प्रभाव सबैलाई पर्ने हुँदा यो अभियान थालिएको उनले बताए । 'महानगर, त्यसमा पनि राजधानी सहर, अब यो नै स्वच्छ र सफा हँुदैन भने कहाँ हुन्छ, जसरी भए पनि स्वच्छ र सफा बनाउनै पर्छ,' उनले भने । यो अभियान निरन्तरका लागि विभिन्न निकायसँग आर्थिकलगायत विभिन्न प्रकारको सहयोगका लागि छलफल भइरहेको समेत उनले बताए । महानगरले घरबाट निस्कने विभिन्न प्रकारका फोहोरलाई छुट्याएर विसर्जनका लागि बाल्टिन दिने तयारी पनि गरेको छ । त्यसले गर्दा काम लाग्ने फोहोरबाट कम्पोस्ट मल तयार गर्न सकिने वातावरण विभाग प्रमुख श्रेष्ठले बताए । 'घरमै कम्पोस्ट मल उत्पादन गरेर आम्दानी गर्न सकिन्छ, निश्चित मूल्यमा महानगरबाट ठूला प्रकारका बाल्टिन वितरण गर्छौं,' उनले भने । महानगरभित्रका सडक विस्तार गर्ने काम भएकाले सधैंभरि कसरी स्वच्छ र सफा राख्ने विषयमा पनि छलफल भइरहेको उनले बताए । त्यसका लागि एक लाखभन्दा बढी बाल्टिन वितरण गरिनेछ । 

महानगरलाई स्वच्छ र सफा राख्न प्रधानमन्त्री बाबुराम भट्टराईले आफ्नै कार्यकक्षमा बोलाएर स्थानीय विकासमन्त्री रायमाझी र अन्य सरारकोरवाला निकायसँग केही दिनअघि छलफल गरेका थिए । छलफलमा प्रधानमन्त्री भट्टराईले महानगरको सरसफाइ अभियानमा सहयोग गर्न सरोकारवाला निकायलाई निर्देशनसमेत दिएको प्रमुख श्रेष्ठले बताए । अभियानलाई प्रभावकारी बनाउन सञ्चार माध्यमलाई समेत परिचालन गरिने भन्दै उनले त्यसका लागि विभिन्न निकायसँग छलफल जारी रहेको उनले बताए । 'अब अन्तिम चरणमा पुग्दैछौं,' उनले भने ।

प्रकाशित मिति: २०६८ फाल्गुन ३०

स्रोत:कान्तिपुर दैनिक, फाल्गुन ३०

Universal access to sanitation a far cry

Universal access to sanitation a far cry


MAR 12 - 

No matter how many Open Defecation Areas (ODFs) Nepal declared in recent years, the country is likely to miss the Millennium Development Goals and the ambitious goal to ensure universal sanitation and safe drinking water by 2017.

After the government in 2002 announced to declare all the VDCs open defecation free by 2017, only 300 of the total 3,915 units have been declared ODF in 75 districts. Moreover, how the declared ODF areas are faring has hitherto sunk into obscurity owing to lax monitoring and lack of follow-up by the government. This, in addition, has raised a serious question about sustainability of the much-talked-about campaign.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan has laid emphasis on the post-ODF situation stressing the involvement of local communities. The plan, which incorporates ODF as a major component, is yet to be implemented as a majority of the districts have not made any strategy so far. As of now, 40 districts have come up with a strategic plan, believed to help speed up the campaign.

Open defecation, rampant particularly in the Tarai, has badly contaminated water sources, raising serious public health risks, according to a UNDP progress report on the Millennium Development Goals. Some 13,000 children below five die of diarrhoeal diseases annually in Nepal, which can be partly attributed to poor hygiene and sanitation, according to the report.

Another report states that every day around 15 million Nepalis openly defecate mainly due to the lack of toilet. Hence, the ODF campaign can ensure a toilet in every household and help them practise the behaviour all their life, only if it is implemented in a sustainable manner with community participation, say experts.

“ODF campaign still remains a challenge in the central Tarai. People are not motivated to adopt healthy living behaviours,” said Nanda Bahadur Khanal, senior divisional engineer at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works. “Also, lack of political commitment to own up the campaign makes it hard to push the drive in many places.”

For instance, Khanal said that the ODF campaign in Rautahat shuddered to a halt as there is no Local Development Officer. He said workforce crunch at the grassroots level had also affected the programme and monitoring process.

Legal Advisor to the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre Dipendra Oli sees three challenges surrounding the ODF campaign. “First is the economic challenge. The other is the utilisation of built resources and the last sustainability of the programme.”

Oli stressed that the programme should make a slow and steady progress. “A decade ago, the then GTZ had given us necessary resources and technical support in managing garbage in the Kathmandu valley. After they handed it over to us, we headed nowhere. These kinds of failure are plenty in Nepal. Therefore, the government has to bring the communities on board practically for its sustainable development.” 

“What will a poor family in hilly region do if a toilet made by an organisation is washed away by a flood? Therefore, along with the sanitation programme, their economic sustainability should also be taken into consideration and infrastructure should be built according to the demand of the community and not through high-flown plans.” While a WaterAid report estimates that Nepal needs a whopping annual investment of Rs 7.5 billion to meet the sanitation and drinking water goal, experts say that not money, but working sincerely towards the goal, would put Nepal to the test.

Ashutosh Tiwari, country representative of WaterAid Nepal, said the government has spent around one-and-a-half years harmonising organisations working in the field of sanitation. “Coordination among the stakeholders has made our work much easier. Now the government has to wholeheartedly work to achieve the sanitation target.” He said the government should have a strong monitoring mechanism to create positive effects of the campaign in the society and also understand the status after ODFs are declared.

“For this, the government plan to hand over the responsibility of planning, implementation, monitoring and supervision of sanitation and hygiene activities to the VDC-level Village Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Coordination Committee is really commendable,” Tiwari said. Nepal is going to host the fifth South Asian Conference on Sanitation in 2013. “To show achievements gained so far in this conference, Nepal needs to accelerate work and it is the right time for the government to roll up its sleeves,” Tiwari said.

Source: The Kantipur daily,March 12

Posted on: 2012-03-13 08:57