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Thursday, July 25, 2013

उपभोक्ता अझै 'दूषित' दूध खान बाध्य

                               उपभोक्ता अझै 'दूषित' दूध खान बाध्य
  काठमाडौ, श्रावण ११ - खाद्य प्रविधि तथा गुण नियन्त्रण विभागले कोलिर्फमबाट दूषित रहेको भनिएका १३ दुग्ध उद्योगको उत्पादनमध्ये कुन कोलिर्फम युक्त हुन् र कुन होइनन् भन्ने जानकारी आमउपभोक्तलाई छैन । विभागले समेत उच्च राजनीतिक दबाब र आर्थिक कारण उपभोक्तालाई यो जानकारी दिन सकेको छैन ।
'दूधमा कोलिर्फम हुनुहुँदैन,' अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मापदण्डअनुसार कोलिर्फम भएको दूध स्वास्थ्यका लागि हानिकारक हुन सक्ने भएको जनाउँदै सूक्ष्मजीव विज्ञान विशेषज्ञ प्रा. डा. शिवकुमार राईले भने, 'गुणस्तर विभागले कोलिर्फम देखिएकामध्ये हाल कुन-कुन उद्योगको दूधमा कोलिर्फम छ र कुन कुनमा छैन भन्ने जानकारी उपभोक्तालाई दिनुपर्छ । उपभोक्तालाई शुद्घ गुणस्तरीय दूध सेवन गर्ने अधिकारको प्रत्याभूति गर्न दूधबाट यस्ता प्रकारका प्रदूषण अविलम्ब हटाउनुपर्छ ।'
दूषित उत्पादन गरेका उद्योगको हालको स्थितिबारे विभागसँग जानकारी माग्दा लिखित निवेदन दिनुपर्ने जनाएपछि कान्तिपुरले सूचना अधिकारीसँग इमेलबाट जानकारी माग्यो । तर कुनै प्रतिक्रिया दिएन । 'हामी कहाँ लिखित निवेदन दिएपछि मात्र सूचना दिने उर्दी जारी गरिएको छ,' स्रोतले यो प्रकरणमा सूचनालाई सञ्चार माध्यममा नदिन अत्यन्त उच्च दबाब रहेको जनाउँदै भन्यो, 'कसैले लिखित मागे कानुन औंल्याउँदै सूचना प्रशोधनको नाउँमा सात दिन कुराउन सकिने र त्यसपछि समेत विभिन्न बाहना गर्न सकिने नीति लिइएको छ ।'
'सूचना पाउनु उपभोक्ताको मौलिक हक हो,' उपभोक्ता हित संरक्षण मञ्चका महासचिव ज्योति बानियाँले भने, 'प्रत्येक गतिविधि जसका लागि गरेको हो त्यसलाई सूचना दिनै पर्छ, यसमा कुनै सीमा, अवरोध गर्नुहुन्न ।' सूचना नदिनु अनुचित काम रहेको जनाउँदै यसले सूचना लुकाउने प्रक्रिया सुरु भएको दाबी गरे ।
विभागले दूधमा कोलिर्फम विरुद्घको अभियान गत जेठ २३ गते देखि सुरु गरेको थियो । त्यसताका विभागले कोलिर्फम पाइएका १३ डेरीमध्ये प्रतिमिलिलिटर २५ सयभन्दा बढी कोलिर्फम पाइएका ६ वटा डेरीलाई बन्द गरेर कारबाही सुरु गरेको थियो ।
त्यसताका विभागले असार ३ गते जारी गरेको विज्ञप्तिमा 'प्रशोधित दूधमा कोलिर्फमको उपस्थितिले सम्बन्धित उद्योगले सरसफाइमा ध्यान नदिएको र प्रशोधनमै कमी कमजोरी रहेको प्रस्ट देखिन्छ' उल्लेख छ । यतिमात्र नभई विभागले उल्लेख्य संख्यामा कोलिर्फमको उपस्थिति पाइएका त्यसताका पाँचवटा डेरीबाट उत्पादित विभिन्न ब्राण्डका दूध अर्को सूचना नभएसम्म उपभोग नगर्न सर्वसाधारणलाई अनुरोधसमेत गरेको थियो ।
त्यसताका केही उद्योगीहरूले कानुनअनुसार सबै दुग्ध उत्पादनमा कोलिर्फम शून्य हुनुपर्ने भए पनि केही खास मात्रामा कोलिर्फम पाइएका उद्योगलाई कारबाहीमा छुट दिन सकिने कानुनी व्यवस्था नभएको जनाएका थिए ।
कोलिर्फम देखिएका उद्योगहरूसँग विभागले लिखितमा दूधमा कोलिर्फमको उपस्थिति शून्य हुने र यसका लागि सुधार गर्दै जाने प्रतिबद्घता लिए पनि कहिलेसम्म कोलिर्फमको उपस्थिति शून्य हुने हो भन्ने समयसीमा नतोकेको उल्लेख गर्दै स्रोतले भन्यो, 'यसैले गर्दा उद्योगले ढिलासुस्ती गरिरहेका छन्, उपभोक्तालाई आफूले मूल्य तिरेर उपयोग गर्ने दूध कोलिर्फम मुक्त छ वा छैन भन्ने जानकारी दिनमा रोक लगाइएको छ ।'
तर दुग्ध विकास संस्थानले आफ्नो दूधलाई कोलिर्फम मुक्त गरिसकेको दाबी गरेको छ । 'हामीले दूधलाई कोलिर्फम प्रदूषणबाट मुक्त गर्‍यो, विभागका प्राविधिकहरूले समेत यसको परीक्षण गरिसकेको छ,' दुग्ध विकास संस्थानका जेनरल म्यानेजर एसपी सिंहले भने, 'हाम्रो उत्पादनमा कोलिर्फमको उपस्थिति शून्य बनाउन करिब पाँचदेखि सात दिन लागेको थियो ।'
कोलिर्फम जीवाणु (ब्याक्टेरिया) को समूह हो । दूधमा कोलिर्फम देखिनुको अर्थ त्यसमा अन्य रोग उत्पन्न गर्न सक्ने जीवाणु हुन सक्ने सूचकसमेत रहेको जनाउँदै राईले भने, 'यस्तो दूध उपलब्ध रहनुको अर्थ कुनै पनि बेलामा झाडापखाला, आउँ, जन्डिस, टाइफाइड लगायतका पानीजन्य रोग महामारीका रूपमा फैलिन सक्ने सूचकसमेत हो ।'

प्रकाशित मिति: २०७० श्रावण ११ ०९:३१
श्रोत् : कन्तिपुर दैनिक

Meeting water and sanitation target a daunting challenge


Meeting water and sanitation target a daunting challenge
KATHMANDU, July 24:Though the government has increased the budget for programs aimed at ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation, it still has to face daunting challenges in order to meet the sanitation target by 2017. 

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has set aside Rs 404 billion for water and sanitation programs. However, the government is still a long way from meeting its goals on safe drinking water and sanitation, as per the national census 2011. 

Though 82.7 percent of households in the country are connected to drinking water supply lines, only 47.78 percent households receive safe drinking water from taps, whereas 35 percent households get water drawn using tube wells and hand pumps.

The sanitation coverage is still low as only 61 percent households have toilets, though the government has to increase the coverage to 100 percent by 2017. Only eight districts have been declared Open Defecation Free till date. 

According to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) Secretary Kishor Thapa, the main challenge is to change the public attitude toward using toilet so that areas that are once declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone remain so in future as well. 

Thapa added that his ministry this year would set the standard for number of people per toilet. The standard number of toilets would vary in academic institutions, hospitals and crowded areas, he mentioned.

Likewise, the MoUD would also coordinate with the Ministry of Local Development to increase the number of public toilets in urban areas. Only 61 public toilets are in usable condition in the Kathmandu Valley at present.

For sanitation, the National Planning Commission had set the budget ceiling of Rs 450 million for sanitation. 
Of the total allocated amount for water and sanitation the government has allocated total Rs 3.99 billion to improve the coverage of safe drinking water and sanitation in rural areas in the next four years.

Following an increasing water crises in the hill districts like Ramechhap, Kavre Palanchowk and Panchthar in dry seasons, the government has allocated Rs 250 million for ensuring drinking water in the areas this year.

Likewise, Rs 300 million has been allotted to promote public private partnership program in VDCs. Likewise, the government is also planning to add water supply facility in Tansen of Palpa, which is facing acute shortage following the fast urbanization. 

Similarly, Rs 560 million has been allocated for the development of Bagmati river corridor. The amount would be utilized to stop encroachment around the the Bagmati River area and to make the river sewerage free. 

Melamchi water project gets Rs 5.24 billion

The government´s focus still remains on Melamchi drinking water project as Rs 5.24 billion of the total expense on drinking water service has been allotted to the project to establish the water treatment plant at Sundarijal. The project falls in the category of national priority.

On July 10, the MoUD had inaugurated the construction of water treatment plant at Sundarijal, which has the capacity to treat 80.5 million liters of water per day. The project is supported by JICA.

The standard of water brought from Melamchi would meet the national standard after treatment at the center, according to Suresh Prakash Acharya, spokesperson of the Ministry of Urban Development. 

Two international companies M/S VA Tech Wabag Limited, Austria and Pratibha Industries, India had received the joint contract to complete the project by November 2015. 

However, the construction of a tunnel from Melamchi to Sundarijal has been stalled since September last year after the government terminated the contract of the Chinese contractor that was building the tunnel.

The project had started in 2000 with an aim to supply 170 million liters of water to the Valley by 2007. The slow pace of the project, however, has resulted in two deadline extensions. The total cost of the project is US $ 249.4 million.

According to Madhav Prasad Nepal, senior engineer with the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board, the government has initiated the bidding process for tunnel construction with the hopes of restarting the project within a couple of months.

The initial contract with the Chinese contractor China Railway 15 Bureau Group Corporation on building a diversion tunnel for the water supply project came to an end on September 26 last year. The contractors blamed the government saying that the board was unsupportive and had failed to address their demands over payment.
Of the total 27.5 km tunnel, the Chinese contractors had built only 6 km till September last year. Engineer Nepal, meanwhile, claimed that the Chinese contractors did not bring equipments needed for constructing the tunnel. 

The board officials say that the government was disappointed with the contractor after it became clear that they could not complete the work in time.
There is a demand of 320 million liters of drinking water in the Valley for 3.2 million people, out of which 2.6 million are Valley residents and more than half a million people are those who travel to the Valley for various reasons. 

The KUKL has the capacity to supply only 90 million liters of water to the Kathmanduties in dry season and 150 million liters of water during rainy season. Therefore, the KUKL is also working on other alternatives as Melamchi project would supply only 170 million liters of water every day, which is only half of the total requirement. 

The government has estimated that additional Rs 9 billion would be needed to supply drinking water to the Valley dwellers till 2016. The estimation excludes the cost of the ongoing Melamchi drinking water project and the Bagmati Basin improvement program.

The MoUD has also estimated that 20 new tube wells, with the capacity to generate 20 million liters water per day, would have to be brought in operation in the next three years. 

Similarly, a plan to construct a 22 kilometer network for improved water distribution system inside the ring road areas is also in the pipeline. The MoUD project also aims to construct basins at various places of the Valley. 

Under this plan, ponds with the capacity to store 30 million liters of water in Mahankal, 12 million liters in Balaju, 8 million liters each in Arubari and Khumaltar would be built. In total, 68 million liters of water would be stored in the basins. In another phase, from 2016 to 2025, the government aims to establish water treatment centers and improved distribution systems at an investment of Rs 13 billion.

source : Republica
Link: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=58370

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Bird flu found in two Valley poultry farms

Bird flu found in two Valley poultry farms

KATHMANDU, JUL 04 -
        Two days after a farm in Gothatar witnessed a bird flu outbreak, authorities concerned confirmed the contagion in two farms of the Valley on Wednesday.According to Dr Bolraj Acharya, chief of the District Veterinary Office in Kathmandu, over 10,000 chickens have been slaughtered from the Great Himalayan Hatchery owned by Mahesh Maharjan in Chhauni-13, after tests at the Central Veterinary Laboratory confirmed the H5N1 virus in the farm on Wednesday.
       Dr Acharya said they could not cull chickens at the other farm based in Syuchatar on Wednesday due to shortage of labourers. He said they could not find people to do some manual work though a technical team was ready. He said they will start their work on Thursday at the site.
        On Monday, 1,015 chickens, 415 eggs and 1250 kg of feed were destroyed after bird flu was confirmed at a poultry farm owned by Amit Kumar Rai at Gothatar-4 in Kathmandu.
      The country witnessed its first avian flu outbreak in 2008 in Jhapa. Since then, major outbreaks have been reported in Pokhara, Nawalparasi, Banke and Dhading. The first case of the flu inside the Valley was reported in November 2011 in an area near the Manohara river.
Posted on: 2013-07-04 08:34 
Source: Kantipur Daily