WATER

About 7.1 million Nepalese lack access to potable water, and the MDG seeks to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water (d/w) by 2015. According to WaterAid Report, Nepal needs to serve additional 11,300 Households every month to meet the MDG. According to the policy and strategy document of the government, there is the looming crisis to meet the envisioned universal sanitation coverage of 100% by 2017. For this, Nepal needs an annual investment of around NRs. 7.5 billion to meet the target.


It has been estimated that the total water demand of the Kathmandu Valley is about 220 million litres a day (MLD), while the total supply varies between 88 MLD (40% of demand) and 132 MLD (60%). However, the bitter fact also exist that as much as 35% of the water is being lost to leaks and theft. This shows the lack of management of one of the major resources.

In rural areas, the issue is more of under-exploitation of potential water sources due to the lack of resources - both financial and technical. Moreover, social exclusion and oppression of under-priviledged communities and ethnic minorities further hinder their access to availability of water resources in many villages. More importantly, they are unaware of the fact that access to safe d/w is their basic human right. There is also the misguided perception of considering water and sanitation as symptoms of poverty rather than drivers of poverty.


Water issue is a holistic approach that includes hydropower, irrigation, industrial and domestiv purposes and directly impacts on health, hygiene, environment, poverty and social exclusion. Thus, water (a major life surviving tool) should be managed and provided to the people through safe mode, without compromising the quality.

Is it true that Bay of Bengal disappears into sea?

It has been reported that the tiny rock island in the Bay of Bengal, between India and Bangladesh, is gone with the rising sea levels. According to Oceanographers of Jadavpur University in Calcutta, New Moore Island in the Sunderbans has been completely submerged. The disappearance has also been confirmed by satellite imagery and sea patrols.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Objective

World Environment day is the main weapon to make people aware of the worldwide environmental demolition and drag the attention and action of various political sources and human resource.

Beginning of the World Environment Day
·World Environment Day was resultant effort of the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1972, which took place in Stockholm Conference on the issue of Human Environment.
·In the same platform, one more resolution was being taken place which gave birth to the UNEP.

How World Environment Day be Celebrated?

World Environment day is celebrated each year by various means like:
·Street rallies
·Bicycles parades
·Green concerts
·Essay and poster competitions in schools
·Tree planting
·Recycling efforts
·Clean-up campaigns and much more.
Resolution is taken by Ministry on World Environment day; commitment of taking care of the world environment.

Agenda

Agenda of this celebration is to make people aware that their change of little habit can make the world environment stable and non-hazardous.


HISTORY
World Environment Day which is a world-famous event was founded by the UN General Assembly in 1972. Nearly, 100 nations around the globe celebrate this event. This event commemorates every year on June 5th.

NOW
The World Environment Day Celebrations is hosted in Pittsburgh, N.America on 5th June, 2010. The event is taking place during the six weeks that “bridge the gap” between Earth Day on April 22 and World Environment Day on June 5. World Environment Day 2010 theme is 'Biodiversity — Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy'. Everyone must fight with weather change to protect flora and fauna and to strengthen their economies. Everyone should keep their effort to increase their economies and relations all over the world.

World Environment Day Celebrations:
The main theme of celebrating the World Environment Day is “Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect flora and fauna, and save the Earth”. All the People, government and non-government authorities, societies and young groups, commerce and trade, the media and other organizations will conduct many social activities to renovate their commitments to protect the environment and society.

World Environment Day Themes since 1974

World Environment Day 2010 Theme - “Biodiversity — Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy”

World Environment Day 2009 Theme - "Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change"

World Environment Day 2008 Theme - "Kick The Habit - Towards A Low Carbon Economy"

World Environment Day 2007 Theme - "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?"

World Environment Day 2006 Theme - "Deserts and Desertification - Don't Desert Drylands!"

World Environment Day 2005 Theme - "Green Cities – Plan for the Planet!"

World Environment Day 2004 Theme - "Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?"

World Environment Day 2003 Theme - "Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It!"
World Environment Day 2002 Theme - "Give Earth a Chance"

World Environment Day 2001 Theme - "Connect with the World Wide Web of Life"

World Environment Day 2000 Theme - "The Environment Millennium - Time to Act"

World Environment Day 1999 Theme - "Our Earth - Our Future - Just Save It!"

World Environment Day 1998 Theme - "For Life on Earth - Save Our Seas"

World Environment Day 1997 Theme - "For Life on Earth"

World Environment Day 1996 Theme - "Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home"

World Environment Day 1995 Theme - "We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment"

World Environment Day 1994 Theme - "One Earth One Family"

World Environment Day 1993 Theme - "Poverty and the Environment - Breaking the Vicious Circle"

World Environment Day 1992 Theme - "Only One Earth, Care and Share"

World Environment Day 1991 Theme - "Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership"
World Environment Day 1990 Theme - "Children and the Environment"

World Environment Day 1989 Theme - "Global Warming; Global Warning"

World Environment Day 1988 Theme - "When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last"

World Environment Day 1987 Theme - "Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof"

World Environment Day 1986 Theme - "A Tree for Peace"

World Environment Day 1985 Theme - "Youth: Population and the Environment"

World Environment Day 1984 Theme -"Desertification"

World Environment Day 1983 Theme - "Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and  Energy"

World Environment Day 1982 Theme - "Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental  Concerns)"

World Environment Day 1981 Theme - "Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains"

World Environment Day 1980 Theme - "A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction"

World Environment Day 1979 Theme - "Only One Future for Our Children - Development Without Destruction"

World Environment Day 1978 Theme - "Development Without Destruction"

World Environment Day 1977 Theme - "Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation"

World Environment Day 1976 Theme - "Water: Vital Resource for Life"

World Environment Day 1975 Theme - "Human Settlements"

World Environment Day 1974 Theme - "Only one Earth"

Source: Altius Directory (2010). Downloaded from: http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Society/2008/06/world-environment-day-june-5th.html

Waterborne Diseases in Nepal

Safe drinking water is a basic human need. But developing countries like Nepal are suffering from health hazards due to the lack of safe drinking water supply. This has resulted in to frequent reports of faecal contamination in drinking water and outbreaks of waterborne diseases, particularly in monsoon. According to Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD)/Department of Health Services (DOHS) of the Government of Nepal, the epidemic that began in early May 2009 recorded nearly 80,000 diarrhoeal cases and claimed over 300 lives, the most affected was Jajarkot, hilly district in the Mid-west.

Government and several national and international non-governmental organizations carried rapid response programme during the crisis phase of the epidemic. Disappointingly, the outbreaks of diarrhoea and some deaths in Jajarkot, Kanchanpur, Baitadi, Dailekh, Tanahun etc. have been reported with the onset of summer 2010. Precautionary steps for mitigation and control measures through effective collaboration and coordination among WASH sector stakeholders should not be delayed.

Source: Maharjan, M. (2010)Diarrhoeal Diseases in Nepal: Risk Factors and Prevention Measures, ENPHO.

Top Ten Toilet Facts

1. The average person spends three years of their life going to the toilet.

2. When it comes to toilet paper, woman are more likely to be grabbers, while men tend to be folders.

3. The first toilet cubicle in a public washroom is the least likely to be used: it is also the cleanest.

4. One gram of human faeces can contain 10,000,000 viruses, 1,000,000 bacteria, 1,000parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs.

5. Most toilets flush in the key of E flat (yes, really!)

6. According to a recent Halifax housing survey, an estimated 40,000 homes in the UK still have an outside toilet.

7. Children living in households with no toilet are twice as likely to get diarrhoea as those with a toilet, causing more deaths every year than AIDS, malaria and measles combined

8.The technology for the disposing of solid waste aboard a shuttle in space costs $23.4 million.

9.Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation would cost an estimated $10 billion every year until 2015 (about as much as Europeans spend annually on ice cream)

10.You can join the attempt to break the record for the World's Longest Toilet Queue in March 2010 at www.wateraid.org/queue

Source: http://www.wateraid.org/uk/about_us/newsroom/8132.asp

Forest Conservation

Nepal is preparing to announce the beginning of 'Forest Caravan 2010'- a first of its kind on community conservation initiative in the country.

According to the Kathmandu Post report on 11th March 2010, the caravan organised by the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECO-FUN) will begin from 10 districts- Taplejung, Khotang, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Mustang, Gulmi, Jumla, Rukum, Bajura and Darchula- simultaneously and assemble in Kathmandu on April 13.

It has been said that the event will focus on securing the community people's rights over natural resources and holding extensive deliberation on ways to make community forest programme inclusive in the constitution.

Facts on Water

· The water footprint of an individual, business or nation is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the foods and services consumed by the individual, business or nation. A water footprint is generally expressed in terms of the volume of water use per year.

· Since not all goods consumed in one particular country are produced in that country, the water footprint consists of two parts: use of domestic water resources and use of water outside the borders of the country. The water footprint includes both the water withdrawn from surface and groundwater and the use of soil water (in agricultural production).

· Virtual water is the water 'embedded' in commodities. Producing goods and services requires water; the water used to produce agricultural or industrial products is called the virtual water of the product.

· The global volume of virtual water flows related to the international trade in commodities is 1,600 Km³/yr. About 80% of these virtual water flows relate to the trade in agricultural products, while the remainder is related to industrial product trade.

· The production of 1 kilogram of:
o rice requires 3,000 litres of water
o maize requires 900 litres of water
o wheat requires 1,350 litres of water
o buff requires 16,000 litres of water.

· 140 litres of water are needed to produce 1 cup of coffee while the production of 1 litre of milk requires 1,000 litres of water.

· Globally, water is saved if agricultural products are traded from regions with high water productivity to those with low water productivity. At present, if importing countries produced all imported agricultural products domestically, they would require 1,600 Km³ of water per year; however, the products are being produced with only 1.200 Km³/yr in the exporting countries, saving global water resources by roughly 400 billion m³/yr.

· The per capita consumption of virtual water contained in our diets varies according to the type of diet, from 1 m³/day for a survival diet, to 2.6 m³/day for a vegetarian diet and over 5 m³ for a United States style meat based diet.

· Only about 7% of the Chinese water footprint of 700 m³ per capita per year (m³/cap/yr) falls outside of China, whereas 65% of Japan's total water footprint of 1150 m³/cap/yr is external.

· The United States appears to have an average water footprint of 2,480 m³/cap/yr, while the global average water footprint is 1,240 m³/cap/yr.
Source: www.unesco.org