Bhaktapur set to be Open Defecation Free district
KATHMANDU, AUG 26 -
The government is preparing to declare Bhaktapur Open Defecation Free (ODF) district during the upcoming South Asian Conference on Sanitation (Sacosan) to be held in Nepal for the first time.
The 5th SACOSAN Conference, scheduled to be held in the Capital will be inaugurated with the announcement of Bhaktapur as the first ODF district in Kathmandu Valley on October 21.
Around 400 participants, including ministers, government officials,
members of non-governmental organisations, campaigners and civil society representatives from eight member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) are expected to attend the conference.
According Kishore Thapa, secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, seven Saarc countries have already confirmed their participation. The conference is a platform for regional stakeholders to hold discussions and formulate policies and programmes to meet the target of total sanitation in the region by 2017.
“We will also evaluate our achievements and formulate strategies accordingly,” Thapa said, adding the government is making preparations to make the conference a grand success. The government has also directed the District Development Committee and the two municipalities of Bhaktapur to ensure that toilets are constructed in all households.
According to Bhaktapur Local Development Officer Rajendra KC, eight, out of 16 VDCs, have already been declared ODF, while additional four will also be ODF within two weeks.
Similarly, six wards of Bhaktapur Municipality, out of 18, are also ODF, while Madhyapur Timi, too, will be ODF once the remaining 80 households get toilets. “Despite some hurdles, we are hopeful that all the houses in the district will have toilets by second week of October,” KC said. The Bhaktapur DDC, he said, is preparing to construct some mobile toilets and urine collection centres before the Sacosan conference.
According to Census 2011, around 80.38 percent and 62 percent of the total population have access to drinking water and sanitation, respectively. In order to meet the universal sanitation target, 75 districts should be declared ODF. So far 914 VDCs, out of 3,915, and 8 municipalities, out of 58, have been declared ODF. The nine ODF districts are Kaski, Chitwan, Tanahu, Myagdi, Pyuthan, Parbat, Accham, Kalikot and Makwanpur.
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