Solar disinfection of water could prevent epidemics

Solar disinfection of water could prevent epidemics

Kathmandu, Jan 7 -

Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) and EAWAG/ SANDEC are jointly moving ahead with the strategic plan to promote Solar Water Disinfection Technique (SODIS) in Nepal.

Sharing their experiences gained in last 10 years of SODIS project in Nepal on Friday, various experts said that SODIS technique could play a pivotal role for increasing the public health status and help to control the regular outbreak of water borne epidemics. Presenting her working paper in the workshop, Biju Dangol, senior programme officer of ENPHO informed that by realizing the need to improve water quality at households through cheap and effective techniques, SODIS programme had been implemented in 20 communities in different parts of Nepal, especially in squatters’ settlements and small farmers’ communities.

For institutionalizing SODIS for its recognition and promotion on a regular basis through government institutions, her organization had been working in partnership with Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Metropolitan offices of Kathmandu, Bahktapur, Laitpur, Kritipur, Madhyapur Thimi and Hetauda, she said. Dangol, further, said that the ENPHO established a partnership with five NGO’s and other organization working at grassroots level to promote and disseminate knowledge of SODIS on water and sanitation. Dangol said during the period of 2001-2002 they conducted research and piloting at different mountainous, hilly and Terai regions.

In 2005, they implemented the programmes in different communities and they focused on investment to institutionalize SODIS during the 2006-2010.

Madhav Pahari, Project Officer of UNICEF, said that the projects should be implemented with a new dimension by mobilizing schools and teachers, where they could teach their students about improving local water systems in more effectively. Because the teachers are the agent of social change, he added. He informed that to empower the students, his organization had introduced SODIS techniques in 200 schools of four districts and sum of 8,045 SODIS bottles were distributed among the school children.

Source: The Rising Nepal