• World Water Day

KATHMANDU, MAR 23 - A memorandum was submitted to Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subas Nembang on occasion of World Water Day on Sunday demanding the inclusion of right to drinking water and sanitation as fundamental right in the new constitution.

Around a dozen representatives of civil society and organisations working in the sector called upon Nembang and other lawmakers to remind that the right to drinking water and sanitation was included under fundamental rights in article 20 (5) of the draft constitution issued by the previous CA. Upon receiving the memorandum, Nembang expressed commitment to address the demand in the new constitution and said that the issue of drinking water and sanitation is very important and justified.

The United Nations set “Water and Sustainable Development” as the theme for celebrating this year’s World Water Day. “It’s about how water links to all areas we need to consider to create the future we want,” read a statement on UN Water’s website.

Having already met the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015, the government has ambitiously revised the target to ensure the services to 100 percent of the population by 2017. The progress report on MDGs published by the government in 2013 stated that the national average for the proportion of households using safe drinking water was 85 percent. However, only 20 percent of households rated drinking water facilities as good with 55 percent rating it as fair while and 25 percent said they were bad, according to the report.

“Water quality is a more critical issue,” Country Representative at Water Aid Nepal Tripti Rai said. “Monitoring of percentage water coverage should look at encompassing indicators of water quality as well. Accelerated progress should be made if we are to achieve universal access by 2017.”

Meanwhile, an awareness programme was organised in Basantapur on the occasion, which held exhibition on urban water-management techniques, management of water in the aftermath of disasters, water-borne diseases and quality of water.