15 May 2019, Kathmandu
The Ministry of Water Supply is to facilitate the local levels to prepare action plan relating to drinking water and sanitation. The action plan is to be developed to ensure citizen’s right to clean drinking water.
Water Supply Minister Bina Magar informed about this today in a meeting of the Development and Technology Committee, House of Representatives. Such action plan will determine the number of projects required in the respective field to address the citizen’s needs, making budget planning for the implementation.
She went on to say that only 109 water projects, out of 778, damaged by the 2015 earthquake, had been left to be restored. “They are likely to be completed within a year.” As she assured, a proposal will be presented before the upcoming Cabinet meeting in regard with work plans to complete the remaining works of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project and a substantive decision on the matter is expected from there.
According to the Minister Magar, the government is campaigning against open-defecation. She sought the support and cooperation from all quarters to make the government campaign for open defecation-free zone successful.
Ministry’s secretary Deependra Nath Sharma underlined the need of increasing budget for drinking water, sharing that a new act relating to drinking water and sanitation was in the offing.
The meeting directed the Ministry to ensure the completion of remaining works of Melamchi Project soon, bring about drinking water and sanitation policy and make sure the effective monitoring to conclude the related projects on time. Besides, the government has been instructed to come up with measures to address the issue of arsenic in drinking water in the Tarai-Madhesi district and supply water to high lands through a lifting process, implementing the citizen’s right to safe drinking water.
Lawmakers present in the meeting suggested the government that drinking and sanitation projects should be selected and implemented on the basis of people’s needs.
Kamala Roka, Kedar Sigdel, Ram Bahadur Bista, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anil Kumar Jha, Asha Kumari BK, Rangamati Shahi, Ganesh Pahadi and Yagya Bahadur Sunuwar advocated the implementation of the peoples’ right to pure drinking water.
