Think India Foundation

Corporators write to minister against laxity of Allahabad municipal corporation

ALLAHABAD: Protesting against the insanitary conditions prevailing in the city, corporators from the city have written to the urban development minister, seeking his intervention to ensure cleanliness in different parts of the city.

Leading the corporators, Ramesh Mishra alleged that Allahabad municipal corporation (AMC) officers are assigning sanitary workers jobs other than sanitation. He said there is a clear government order that states that an employee should do the work for the post for which he is appointed. However, this GO is being violated by officers of AMC as they are not utilizing sanitary workers for the cleanliness work, he said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Civic officials in Visakhapatnam hold meeting with WB team on sanitation policy

VISAKHAPATNAM : Officials of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA &UD) and from four municipal corporations had a meeting on Monday with a World Bank team on National Urban Sanitation Policy.

According to Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana who participated in the meeting in Hyderabad, the policy envisages totally doing away with open defecation, construction of individual and community toilets and scientific management of solid waste management. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Huda chief assures to end Civic woes in Sectors 4, 15

Gurgaon : After missing an appointment with RWA members of sectors 4 and 15 earlier this week, the administrator of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), Praveen Kumar, held a meeting to hear their grievances on Friday.

Residents apprised Kumar about civic woes such as poor sanitation, maintenance issues and unauthorised parking areas. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Amity School students contribute to societal issues during "Youth Power 2012-13"

Noida (UP) (ANI): It was impressive to witness the youth of the country talking so passionately and vociferously about the issues afflicting our society -"Supporting senior citizens", "Banning plastics", "Sanitation and hygiene issues", "Respecting Heritage" and "Food Adulteration" during Grand Finale of "Youth Power 2012-13" at Amity University Campus, Noida.

"Youth Power" was launched in the year 2008 by The Global Times, Youth Newspaper of Amity Group with the mission to sensitize the youth towards social issues. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

Making a clean sweep of a 'dirty' business in India

A new kind of "dirty" business is becoming the latest frontier in the bottom-of-the-pyramid market in India, with a number of start-ups seeing a huge opportunity in building and maintaining toilets as more than 600 million Indians still defecate in the open, according to the World Health Organization.

Bindeshwar Pathak, who launched India`s first paid toilet way back in 1974 told CNBC that there were just not enough toilets in a country of a billion people. Read more

Source : www.moneycontrol.com

Rains expose poor sanitary conditions in Varanasi

VARANASI: Civic conditions went completely out of gear after rainfall on Sunday. Unveiling the preparedness of Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) in maintenance of sanitation and cleanliness, heavy accumulation of garbage was visible on main roads, market places, and residential colonies. The already over flowing regional collection centres and dustbins placed in different areas further deteriorated the condition as most of the areas of the city reported no cleanliness work on Sunday. 

Despite the tall claims of VMC, huge pile of garbage was found accumulated and scattered at major roads including Beniabagh, Sonarpura, Lanka and Cantonment Railway Station. Situation was worst on the dug up roads. Potholes and cracks have come up on the newly built roads and road repair works carried out in several areas including Maidagin and Sigra whereas the already damaged roads in various residential localities of Mehmoorganj, Sigra, Chowkaghat, Pandeypur created slippery pathway conditions causing trouble to the commuters. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Despite better infrastructure , Rajasthan still among bottom states

JAIPUR: The government of India's report 'Infrastructure Statistics -2013' March, 2013 indicates that the state made some strides in providing tap water, increasing toilets, developing roads and communication network. However, it all proves to be insufficient for improving living standards of the people and needs a major push.

The report was compiled under six categories of transport, energy, communication, water and sanitation, irrigation and storage. Based on the recent data, it covers the figures from 2006-07 to 2010-11 depending on the availability of the data. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

German agency to assist Kochi sanitation plan

KOCHI: The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has promised to provide technical support and capacity building training to implement Kochi corporation's city sanitation plan (CSP). After holding talks with German representatives, Kochi mayor Tony Chammany said that the project would help to improve sanitation in urban areas. The local body will also take the initiative to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for implementing the CSP. 

Regina Dube, senior advisor, sustainable urban habitat of GIZ, said that the agency would chalk out a detailed plan of action and ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the local body for mutual collaboration after holding further discussions. At the meeting, attended by standing committee chairpersons and officials of the civic body, it was pointed out that a pre-feasibility study was needed to prepare the DPR. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Anganwadis in Karnataka still lack basic facilities

BANGALORE : Within the four walls of a room that once housed a small shop, B Nagarathnamma, an Anganwadi worker manages to pack 24 children. The children come in at 10 am and spend six hours at this Anganwadi Centre (AWC) in Chikkaballapur. At any point, if the children wish to answer nature’s call, they have to go to the corner of the street, or wait till they got home. Reason? The centre does not have a toilet.

This AWC is just one of the 36,576 AWCs in the state that lacks sanitation facilities, water supply and other essential infrastructure. Further, there is no water supply to this AWC. Nagarathnamma and her helper depend on the people staying nearby who take turns in helping them with just two buckets of water a day for washing and cleaning. According to information from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, only 42.29 per cent of the 63,376 Anganwadis in Karnataka have an attached toilet complex or one in the neighbourhood. This means that two out of every three Anganwadi centre has no lavatory for the children and Anganwadi workers. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

DJB focuses on urban supply

NEW DELHI: With the assembly elections scheduled for later this year, Delhi Jal Board's budget for 2013-14 has earmarked 39% of its Rs 1,665 crore budget for urban water supply. The focus of their work this year, as has been for the past few years, is improving sewage and sanitation for which Rs 774.8 crore has sanctioned.

Another Rs 204.35 crore from the central funds has been allocated for Yamuna Action Plan-III.JNNURM funds to the tune of Rs 336.80 crore from the share for sewage works will be utilized for the interceptor sewage system, rehabilitation of trunk sewers and construction of sewage treatment plants at Nilothi, Pappan Kalan and one sewage pumping station. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

No more open defecation in rural Rajasthan's Tonk

Tonk (Rajasthan): A few years ago, Shadima Bi, like many other children in Hajipura village in Rajasthan's Tonk district, would feel embarrassed going out in the open to defecate. These days, the morning ablutions do not occupy her thoughts as her village is now open defecation free (ODF). 

"Earlier we would go out to defecate in the open and face embarrassment. In the night we wouldn't go out because we felt insecure. But now, every house in the village has a toilet. Things are much easier," the 13-year-old said. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Bihar govt to invest over Rs 40,000 cr for health & sanitation

Patna : Bihar government has decided to improve health and sanitation in the state in the next five years with an investment of Rs 41,656 crore, Chief Secretary A K Sinha said today. 

The statement was made by Sinha after a review meeting of the Human Development Mission by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Shivpal Yadav pulls up officials in Varanasi for laxity

VARANASI: Minister for PWD, irrigation and cooperative societies Shivpal Yadav gave a time of three months to the officers of his departments to perform or be ready to face music.

Reviewing the progress of works assigned to PWD and irrigation departments on Sunday, the minister said: "I gave you a period of one year. But when I moved in city areas I saw the pathetic condition of roads and poor sanitation. There is urgent need to repair the damaged roads and improve sanitary conditions as this is an internationally famous city. Now I give you a time of three months to show improvement." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Urban Sanitation in Various States

The national rating for cities has been launched by the Government of India to achieve the goals of the National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP) which aims at making Indian cities and towns totally sanitized, healthy, and livable. The first such exercise undertaken during 2009-2010 with publication of results in May 2010 rated 423 cities (with population greater than 100,000) for their performance across various aspects of sanitation. 

The Ministry of Urban Development acts as a facilitator in framing broad policies, programmes and guidelines on Urban Sanitation. The Central Government supplements the efforts of State Governments/Union Territories in providing sanitation facilities through various schemes as follows: Read more

Source : pib.nic.in

Stunted nation: Bad news for India’s children

There are no magic bullets after all.

A boy takes bath outside newly built toilets in a village on the outskirts of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Reuters

That’s the saddest conclusion that comes out of a five-year-study of 1 million children in 8,338 government-supported childcare centres in villages across Uttar Pradesh. Read more

Source : www.firstpost.com

Garbage accumulates as Kanpur Municipal Corporation, A2Z slug it out

KANPUR: Unclean roads as well as garbage lying unattended at dumping yards and brimming over from dustbins have become a common sight in the industrial city these days. With less than a fortnight left for Holi, the city is reeling under extreme insanitation as several metric tonnes of garbage rots in wake of the tussle between A2Z and Kanpur Municipal Corporation.

The impact of the absence of regular workers and garbage clearance system can be seen in areas like Bakarganj, Yashoda Nagar, Shyam Nagar, and Jajmau to name few. Also bearing the brunt of the mismanagement of municipal corporation and A2Z are Kakadeo, Lajpat Nagar and Ashok Nagar. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Top World Bank official to meet Akhilesh Yadav

LUCKNOW: World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim will visit India between March 11 and 13 to have a first hand idea of some of the development challenges faced by India.
During his three-day visit, Kim will also visit Lucknow and Kanpur and is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The visiting official will also see development challenges in the state, which is home to the largest number of India's poor. During his UP tour, Kim will visit one village in Uttar Pradesh to understand the reasons for migration from rural areas to towns and cities, and in Kanpur he will assess the challenges in managing increasing urbanisation.

In an official statement released on Friday, Kim said, "India's historic transformation provides a great opportunity to lift millions out of poverty, but it also poses enormous challenges in providing jobs, housing and basic services to people." He also said, "A quarter of urban India already lives in slums, with limited access to clean drinking water, proper sanitation, electricity or public transportation. I am here to see how the World Bank Group can support India as it strives to turn its urban centres into clean, liveable cities for its people." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Delhi HC seeks report from civic agencies on toilets for women

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday sought status report from civic agencies on the condition of toilets for women in the city.

A division bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur asked the three MCDs (zone-wise), NDMC and Delhi Cantonment board to file their status report on the conditions of such toilets within three weeks. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

5.3 Lakh Families in India are Homeless: Maken

As many as 5.3 lakh families in the country are homeless, Minister for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken told Rajya Sabha today.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said since no data on homeless households (or families) has been released by 2011 Census, an internal committee of the ministry has calculated that there is a shortage of 18.78 million houses in the country. Read more

Source : news.outlookindia.com

Delay doubles Cuttack sanitation project cost

CUTTACK: The inordinate delay in the integrated sanitation improvement project work may prove costly for the city. While the project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for overhauling the sanitation system was announced in 2007 at an estimated cost Rs 757.44 crore, it has now almost doubled to Rs 1,500 crore.

People are skeptical about JICA agreeing to bear the extra burden. "It was announced that out of the total project cost of Rs 757.44 crore, the agency would chip in with Rs 624.65 crore and the rest borne by the state government. But due to the carelessness and negligence of the government, the project cost has escalated to Rs1,500 crore. What if JICA authorities refuse to pay more money for the project?" asked president of Cuttack Congress unit Md. Moquim. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

PCMC to upgrade public toilet facility

PCMC chief has earmarked Rs 3 crore to make town open-defecation free

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has decided to give what officials describe a fitting reply to those who are preventing the poor, especially those living in slums, from using public toilet facilities. In his budget draft presented to the standing committee Thursday, Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said he has earmarked Rs 3 crore for setting up new public toilets next fiscal. Read more

Source : expressindia.indianexpress.com

No loos for BU students, but V-C wants his redone

Bangalore : Bangalore University has no money to meet its students' long-pending demands for more toilets and a canteen at its Jnanabharati campus, but has enough to renovate the vice-chancellor's residence every now and then.

Shortage of funds have been cited by the authorities to turn down the demands of students for more toilets and drinking water facilities in the departments and at the hostels, but, the current vice-chancellor has asked the university to spend Rs 94,000 for renovating the toilet in his official residence. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Bangalore City Schools Implement Waste Can Sanitation

BANGALORE, India—A good bathroom experience may improve school attendance. While India’s prolonged sanitation crisis has posed many challenges, it has also become the breeding ground for innovative, cost-effective sanitation for a few Bangalore schools looking for solutions.

A student doing the daily audit of several aspects of sanitation at V.V Puram Government Girls High School, Bangalore. (Credit: Reap Benefit)

The city’s V.V Puram Government Girls High School faced challenges with dropouts, particularly with girls who hit puberty and stopped going or had irregular attendance because of inadequate sanitation facilities. Read more

Source : www.theepochtimes.com

Spike in JNNURM allocations positive for municipalities: India Ratings

India Ratings believes that in the urban development space, the completion pace of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects remains tardy.

''However, the government has given fillip by sanctioning Rs 148.73 billion in FY14 against Rs 73.83 billion in FY13 in the Union Budget 2013-14. In India Ratings' opinion, the release of grants on a timely basis - linked to achievement of project milestones is key to the success,'' said India Ratings. Read more

Source : www.myiris.com

Few toilets for women at Mumbai railway stations

MUMBAI: Women travelling by Mumbai's suburban rail system have to reconcile with the woefully inadequate toilet facilities at stations. 

Details sought under the Right to Information (Act) have revealed the lack of proper toilet facilities on Western Railway's suburban network as well as the three suburban lines on Central Railway. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

M.P. plans to stop open defecation in urban areas

BHOPAL : The Madhya Pradesh Government has charted a plan to completely stop open defecation in urban areas by 2017 and provide sanitation access through individual household toilets by 2025.

“The ‘Madhya Pradesh Sanitation Vision 2025’ (MPSV) has been drawn with an aim to make urban areas in the State free of open defecation by 2017 and achieve a near complete (99.8 per cent) sanitation access through provision of individual household-level toilets by 2025,” State Urban Administration and Development Department Commissioner Sanjay Shukla said. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

Rajasthan has least availability of water and least reliable supply: Report

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has the least availability of water and the least reliable supply, with only 162 out of the state's 222 towns receiving water everyday, says a World Bank report. India, while maintaining the targeted subsidies for the poor, can also provide more and better quality of water to its citizens, the report states.

The report, Improving Urban Water Supply & Sanitation Services - Lessons from Business Plans for Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Haryana and International Good Practices seeks to address the key issues facing the water sector in India's states and cities. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Syllabus in perspective

Academicians recommend that the ‘Sociology of Sanitation’ be included as a sub-subject in schools and colleges to address the complexities of the issue

The HinduPriority to sanitation: A new discipline. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

When former manual scavenger Usha Choumar was “liberated” a decade ago, her only mission was to ensure that her little daughter does not get into this “dirty business”. Today she is an important functionary in Sulabh International, working in the field of sanitation, while her daughter goes to a public school with dreams of doing “something big”. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Seer champions sanitation cause at Kumbh

ALLAHABAD/LUCKNOW: Swami Chidanand Saraswati of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram has earned sanitary distinction for the campaign he is running during the ongoing Maha Kumbh to provide clean toilets in religious places. The seer from Rishikesh has recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Defence Research and Designs Organisation (DRDO) to use their technology of bio-toilets in places where proper sanitation facilities are not available. Industry body FICCI is also supporting the endeavor. 

The DRDO's technology for bio-toilets is called bio-digester. It resolves the problem of non-decomposed human waste. The innovative system converts human waste into usable water and gases in an eco-friendly manner. The gas generated can be utilised for energy/cooking and water for irrigation purposes. The process involves the bacteria which feed upon the faecal matter inside the tank, through anaerobic process which finally degrades the matter and releases the gas methane, which can be used for cooking. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

ADB's USD 100 m loan to provide sustainable urban services to five Uttarakhand towns

New Delhi (ANI): India today signed an agreement for a 100 million dollar loan with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a second tranche of the Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development Investment Program.

The project will support the rehabilitation and expansion of basic urban infrastructure in five major urban centers of Uttarakhand and ensure sustainable municipal service delivery. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

US-India analyse urban water efficiency

New Delhi (IBNS) : The United States and India on Monday conducted a national consultation on water efficiency in urban areas.

This consultation marked the culmination of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Water Analysis, Innovations, and Systems Program (WAISP) to increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. Read more

Source : www.indiablooms.com

Jairam Ramesh pushes for passing Bill banning manual scavenging

NEW DELHI : Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh put his weight behind the Bill prohibiting manual scavenging on Monday and said it can be passed during the Budget Session, if the Parliamentarians “resolve” to eliminate this practice.

A sewerage worker clearing a choked drain manually. In spite of the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, the practice of employing scavengers is rampant in many parts of the country.

Ramesh, who had been championing the cause of making India open defecation free within a decade, called the practice of manual scavenging despicable and called for Parliamentarians to back the Prohibition of Employment and as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

Jaipur gets facelift before Congress meet

Jaipur (IANS) : Authorities are working overtime to beautify the Rajasthan capital ahead of a three-day Congress party meeting that starts Friday.

Vendors parked illegally on roads have been removed. And Jaipur is being cleaned up thoroughly, officials said. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

Sanitary condition poor in Chandigarh, concedes Bansal

CHANDIGARH: The pathetic sanitary conditions in the city irked Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who termed the sanitary conditions in the city as poor after casting his vote in MC mayoral poll on Tuesday.

Significantly, the Congress has been ruling the MC for the last over five years, but the sanitary conditions have only turned from bad to worse. There have been several discussions on the issue in the MC house, but no concrete steps have been taken to improve things. Sanitation is one of the crucial services of the civic body. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

920% rise in Madhya Pradesh phone users: Census 2011 data

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a whopping 920% rise in use of telephones- both landlines and mobiles - as compared to the last 10 years. However, almost 87% population in rural Madhya Pradesh and about 26% population in the urban parts of the state still do not have access to toilets. 

This was revealed at a state-level data dissemination workshop for census 2011, held here on Friday. The directorate of census operations data states that 82% people in the state do not have the facility of toilets within the premises of their house in the state. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

82% of Bangalore has covered drains, reveals census

BANGALORE: Bangalore Urban district continues to have excellent sanitation facilities compared to the hinterland. Statistics accessed at a workshop on disseminating Census 2011 data revealed that 82.4% of households in Bangalore Urban district have closed drainage.

At the other end of the spectrum is Dakshina Kannada district where 43.1% have no drainage facilities at all. The two-day workshop concluded on Wednesday. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Women face disease & danger using New Delhi slum toilets

New Delhi, INDIA: Each dawn brings the same battle for Sangeeta Devi. The simple act of defecation takes tactful planning for the 30-year-old. For Devi, a local community worker, it’s a matter of life or death. Devi, like the other women of her slum, lacks a toilet in her home. So she wakes up early when it’s still dark, walks toward the bushes on the edge of the slum and squats there to relieve herself.

A public slum toilet in Prithvi Park, approximately 6-8 miles outside of New Delhi, India, shows why most women prefer not to use public bathroom facilities. Image: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The daily humiliation is taking a toll on her dignity, she says. But open defecation is more than embarrassing. Often, men hide in the areas women commonly use to go to the bathroom, knowing that this is a position and time when they are vulnerable. Read more

Source : womennewsnetwork.net

Making urbanisation potable

Maharashtra’s Sujal Nirmal Abhiyan, a state-led integrated water and sanitation programme, covers all 250 cities except Mumbai and already has 152 urban bodies engaged in a stringent reforms schedule

Water and sanitation are core, basic needs of any society. No amount of spending on healthcare facilities will suffice if we do not have clean drinking water and adequate arrangements for safe disposal of waste. The state of water and sanitation in Indian cities is abysmal, more so when there is increasing evidence that it does not take a great deal to transform the situation. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Focus on smaller cities in next phase of JNNURM

NEW DELHI : Improved water and sanitation facilities, better housing, streamlined transportation systems and waste management are some of the services that smaller cities in the country can look forwards to in the next phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the flagship programme of the Union Urban Development Ministry.

The Ministry is keen to fund projects that will allow smaller cities that are fast moving towards urbanisation a chance to have and upgrade basic services. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Varanasi Municipal Corporation to construct 52 community toilets

VARANASI: As many as 52 community toilet complexes (CTCs) will be constructed by Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) under a project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

Additional municipal commissioner Sachidanand Singh said that JICA has provided a fund of around Rs 5 crore for the work. The site selection process has been completed. Around 45 of the 52 selected sites are undisputed. The construction work will start in next three months. The city has achieved a target of 47 CTCs under total sanitation campaign of ministry of drinking water and sanitation. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

MCG all set to introduce biometric attendance

GURGAON: Taking a serious view of the complaints filed by councillors at the House meeting on Thursday regarding the dismal performance of MCG sanitation workers, the municipal commissioner has ordered installation of biometric attendance system within a week.

The councillors alleged that absenteeism is a huge problem in the sanitation department. This on top of the fact that the contractors have not hired sufficient staff and have 'ghost employees' cleaning city streets. "It is evident that the sanitation agency owners are not hiring adequate number of people to keep the city clean. The contractors don't provide their employees provident fund and ESI. This is also in violation of the laws. The primary reason why they are not following the rule book is because once we know the number of PF and ESI accounts; we will also come to know the number of employees," said a councillor. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Less-sound East Delhi MC funds 40 projects

NEW DELHI: East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the least financially well off, among the three corporations, has taken up more than 40 new projects. Many of the projects will be funded from government schemes like NRHM and JNNURM. For each sector -- sanitation, health and education -- new proposals have been mentioned in the budget, which are not even taken up by its counterparts.

The corporation which started with a deficit despite a Rs 490 crore loan from Delhi government has been able to boost its revenue and take up projects. One of the things that sets East corporation apart from other corporations is the fact that it has been able extract funds from the government under various schemes. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Come home to the Village

New Delhi : Ronnie Screwvala is trying to reverse rural migration by improving conditions in villages.

In Swades (2004), Shahrukh Khan plays a NASA scientist, Mohan Bhagwat, who comes to his village in India on vacation and decides to relocate permanently in order to use his education and skills to improve the lives of villagers. Ronnie Screwvala, who co-produced the film with Ashutosh Gowariker, now wants real life to imitate art. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Parrikar launches Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan for Bardez

MAPUSA: Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has launched the block level Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) for Bardez taluka in the presence of several ministers, MLAs and panchayat members at a function organized at Bodgeshwar hall, Mapusa on Thursday.

NBA is a centrally sponsored scheme on rural sanitation under the ministry of drinking water and sanitation, government of India. Public works department (PWD) is the implementing agency in the state. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Sanitation Hackathon 2012 announces winning solutions for India

Bangalore/Pune (ANI) : Sanitation Hackathon 2012, an innovative collaboration of experts aimed at improving public health in the developing world, today announced the winners of the Indian leg of its 14-city global event.

More than 100 software developers from Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi converged on the Pune campus of Infosys over December 1 and 2, 2012, to develop solutions to some of India’s most pressing sanitation problems. Team TernUp from Bangalore emerged as the winner of this year’s Hackathon for their innovative applications on tracking toilet usage and detecting clogged pipes. Team Three Scentisizers from Pune was declared as the runner-up, followed by four other winning teams – EcoLogic, IAAP, Mobility Warriors and One Erics. Read more

Source : truthdive.com

HUDA policy on garbage contractors soon

GURGAON: The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is preparing a policy for its contractors in its sectors in Gurgaon. "The new policy will cover all aspects such as agreement details, eligibility criteria and payment procedures for contractors involved in sanitation (garbage collection) work in HUDA sectors," said HUDA administrator Praveen Kumar. 

The authority is now planning to hire contractors who are better equipped to handle sanitation work. "The preference will be given to contractors who have the latest machines and adequate manpower to carry out the work," said Kumar. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Interim public toilets for Orissa cities

BHUBANESWAR: With work on the comprehensive sewerage project (CSP) in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar running far behind schedule, the government is planning to create public and community toilets using a different technology as a stop-gap arrangement.

The housing and urban development department is planning to create community toilets in slums and areas not covered by CSP using integrated up-flow filter technology. "Since commissioning of CSP will take some more years, we are exploring the possibility of up-flow filter toilets in certain areas as an interim measure," said housing and urban development secretary Injeti Srinivas. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cleanliness a far cry in Ranchi trains

RANCHI: With increase in the number of trains from Ranchi in the past six years, hygiene and sanitation have deteriorated drastically.

Most of the trains go without cleaning owing to lack of sanitation facility at Hatia railway yard of South Eastern Railway, where over 300 coaches queue up everyday for washing. Only six washing lines clean about 20 trains which leave from either Ranchi station or Hatia station. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Law soon against use of dry toilets: Jairam Ramesh

BHOPAL: Union minister for Panchayat and Rural Development Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that the Centre will soon formulate a law to prosecute users of dry toilets. They could even be sent to jail.

Jairam Ramesh was in here in the Madhya Pradesh capital to address a rally organised for the eradication of manual scavenging. A large gathering of women from across the country who have left manual scavenging as a source of livelihood with the assistance of self-help groups started a march from Bhopal to New Delhi on Friday afternoon. The march named the Maila Mukti Yatra under the Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan (National Campaign for Dignity and Eradication of Manual Scavenging) will cover 200 districts through 18 states and reach New Delhi on January 31. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Slumdog reality

RANCHI: Garbage littered everywhere, open drains, flies hovering around, poverty writ large - these are the hallmarks of a slum anywhere in the world and the slums of the city are not an exception. As many as 101 slums identified by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) with 16,049 households having a population of 82,216 people are facing the same problems. Apart from poverty and lack of proper education, sanitation and drinking water facilities remain a distant dream for the slum dwellers of Ranchi.

Sharmila Devi, a daily wage earner and resident of a slum in Bajra said, "I have to walk for a km from my home to the community handpump and queue up for more than an hour to get some water. We still don't have water connection in our houses here." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com