Nepal: Anti-water privatisation News
WATSAN WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST: Vol.4 No. 41, March 5, 2007
Water shortage haunts capital city dwellers
Kathmandu, Mar. 9: With the onslaught of the dry spell, the Valley dwellers are constantly pestered with the worry whether or not their taps would trickle. If you are lucky enough, your tap will trickle, but the quality of drinking water being supplied is not up to the mark. The woes of the consumers are further compounded by power outage, which comes as a severe blow to those who are compelled to use electric motors to get their share of water.
It is ironical that Nepal, a country rated as the second richest in water resources is grappling to supply clean and adequate drinking water to its citizens. The Melamchi Drinking Water Project is gradually becoming a distant dream for the denizens, who are tired of hearing the myriad problems that have been delaying the project.
The Nepal Drinking Water Corporation (NDWC) is very much in the news these days. The employees have been organizing protests of all sorts, sit-ins, rally, demonstrations and picketing. Surprisingly their worries are not related with improving the water supply but something else.
The fate of nearly 2,222 employees at the Corporation has been pushed into uncertainly with plans afoot to sell off the NDWC in segments to the private sector. The NDWC assets inside the Valley have now been handed over to the NDWC Management Board. Now the existence of NDWC prevails only outside the Valley. The Government has brought a new Act to complete the procedures.
General Secretary of NDWC Employees Association, Om Adhikari complains that the Act does not mention about nominating the employees to represent in the Board. The government is mulling over giving away the management of the NDWC to the London based Seven Trent Water International on a six-year contract. The goal behind giving away the NDWC on contract is to ensure that the taps in the Valley supply ample water at least for two hours daily during the dry season till the Melamchi Project starts its distribution.
The Valley’s demand of water during the dry season is 200 million liters. Presently not even half of the demand is being met. At a time when steps are underway to lay off 400 employees at NDWC, the management has recruited nearly three dozen employees at various levels under the pressure of the Minister, according to the claims made by the union leaders.
A two-day workshop entitled “The Impact on Consumers & Employees after the Privatisation of NDWC” kicked off here Friday. Almost all the speakers expressing their views at the workshop organised under the aegis of the Nepal Inter-Corporation Employees Association said that the NDWC should not be sold out to a private buyer at a throwaway price.
Addressing the programme, Nepali Congress central member Sunil Kumar Bhandari said the state must not act irresponsibly in the sectors of essential services such as health, drinking water and education. He said that arrangements must be made to provide such services to the consumers at the grassroots level. Lamenting that the government formed through the strength of the popular movement had failed to fulfill its commitments, President of the Nepal Inter-Corporation Employees Association Shisir Kumar Jha, said that the government must seek the participation of the NDWC employees and the consumers when making structural changes at the corporation.
NDWC manager, Gyaneshananda Bajracharya said that the employees and the corporation would not be at a loss even if the NDWC were privatised. But it could lead to a rise in the price of drinking water, he added. Other speakers at the programme suggested that the future of the employees should be taken into account by the government before setting forth to give it to private hands.
Source: The Rising Nepal, March 10, 2007.
ADB to trim Melamchi by US $ 114 million
By Bikash Sangraula
Kathmandu: An Asian Development Bank (ADB) mission that arrived in Kathmandu March 5 from the bank’s headquarters in Manila, Philippines agreed on Friday to implement the decision taken in February this year by a Joint Review Mission (JRM) of Melamchi project donors to scale down the project from US $ 464 million to US $ 350 million.
Melamchi project Executive Director Suman Prasad Sharma said that the ADB mission agreed to amend loan agreements according to the JRM’s February decision. The mission, led by ADB’s Senior Urban Development Specialist Keiichi Tamaki, will now submit its report to the bank’s board for approval. ADB is the largest donor for the project and also the front line loan administering agency for it.
The mission has also decided to hand over responsibility of the Kathmandu Valley component of the project - distribution network improvement and treatment plant at Sundarijal, among other things - to a Water Utility Operator that is to be constituted soon, while limiting the jurisdiction of the Melamchi project board to work in the Melamchi Valley, Sindhupalchowk district.
For bringing down the project cost by US $ 114 million, the construction contract for the project’s 26.5-km diversion tunnel is being awarded through open competitive bidding instead of awarding it to a firm of the donor’s choice. The tunnel is the most costly component of the project. Expected earlier to cost US $ 130 million, it will now cost around US $ 85 million only. Also, the water treatment plant at Sundarijal and the bulk distribution system in Kathmandu Valley are being downsized.
After two weeks of consultations in late January and early February, the JRM had finalized a working document deciding to massively restructure the country’s largest development project in line with available funds. The JRM meeting was a follow-up to an earlier meeting in November 2006 that dwelt on the same thing.
Scaling down of the project’s scope became essential following donors’ termination of loan agreements. In July 2005, NORAD terminated its aid commitment to the project citing February One as a serious setback to multiparty democracy, human rights and finding a peaceful solution to the then ongoing violent conflict. The Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA, which had agreed to administer its funding through NORAD, formally terminated its commitment in 2006. The terminations cost the project US$ 53 million, leaving it on the verge of collapse.
The project now has adequate funds to meet its scaled down mandate thanks to new funding commitment of US$ 45 million from ADB in addition to its earlier commitment of US$ 120 million, and the government’s US$ 5 million in addition to an earlier commitment of US$ 120 million.
Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Nordic Development Fund (NDF), are funding US $ 165 million, US $ 50 million and US $ 10 million respectively for the project, while the government of Nepal is chipping in with US $ 125 million.
The project is expected to start pumping 170 million liters of water daily to Kathmandu Valley in 2011/12.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, March 10, 2007.
NWSC locked again
Kathmandu: The employees union close to Maoists locked the central office of Nepal Water Supply Corporation in the same evening government unlocked the office after two months in the assistance of police and presence of NWSC officials, representatives of employees unions. But, the office was locked again at 5 pm after police left. The unoin close to Maoists locked the office stating that it is against privatization and irregularities in the corporation. The locking has halted all works in the corporation since the last two months.
Source: Annapurna Post; Kantipur, March 9, 2007
Sewer projects in all wards of Balkot
Bhaktapur: The Division Office of Driking water and Sanitation is to start sewage projects in all wards of Balkot VDC. Rs. 1 million has been received from the ministry for this purpose. Survey is going on in the VDC after which the project will be launched.
Source: Gorkhapatra, March 7, 2007
School toilets useless
Kathmandu: Hardly 15 percent toilets built in the assistance of donor agencies in nine thousand schools countrywide are in use as stated by the Department of Education. About Rs. 300 million has been spent in construction of these toilets. According to the available data only 70% of 28000 government schools in the country have access to toilets and only 15% of them are in use. The problem is identified as lack of advices and recommendations service for proper use of toilets together with construction works. The depatment provides Rs. 15000 to Rs. 45000 for toilet construction as per the place and design of construction.
Source: Kantipur, March 7, 2007
Sewage water in houses
Kathmandu: The leakage of sewage into roads at Jayabageshwori has not stopped despite the expansion of road from Chabahil to Gaushala after many years of efforts. Sewerage from sewers under footpaths enter lacal people’s houses after the footpath in the Eastern road of Jayabageshwori bursted two months ago, just 18 months past road expansion.The oldest Ganesh temple in the Pashupati area is also polluted due to leaking sewage. The employees of Kathmandu Municipality Office ward no. 8, located 10 meter away from the sewage leaking site, do not go to their office during the sewage leaking time to avoid complaints of the local people. The leaking sewage is also affecting the footpath.
Source: Annapurna Post, March 7, 2007
Water from stone-spout in houses
Lalitpur: The water collected from stone spouts in Alukohiti, Lalitpur has been started to be supplied to 210 houses of Ward no. 22 Ikhachhen and Ward no. 16 Nagbahal in the joint efforts of Ikhachhen Tole Reform Committee and Alukohiti Conservation Users’ Committee. This is the Valley’s first example of water from stone spouts being distributed to houses. There is a system of collecting water from three out of five stone spouts in Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City 22, Alukohiti in a 10,000L tank from 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm before distributing it to the houses nearby using the pipelines laid by Nepal Water Supply Corporation.
“There is an aim of supplying water to 500 houses”, said Sushil Shrestha, chairman of Alukohiti Conservation Users’ Committee. According to him the activities for this purpose will be started from May 2007. The project has been successful with local fund collection and a ten thousand liter tank provided by Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City. A total of Rs. 7 lakh has been spent for this project and the committee charges Rs. 100 per month from the houses for 45 minutes water supply daily.
Source: Annapurna Post, March 5, 2007.
Students leave class to drink water
Lahan: The students studying in Sisabani Primary School, Jahadi-5 leave their classes and walk for 20 minutes to the tube well in the village to drink water because there is no water facility in the school. Three hundred fifty six students study in the school and most of the students are from Musahar, Ram, Chaudhari, Shaha and Yadav communities.
Source: Kantipur, March 10, 2007.
Deprived of drinking water
Udayapur: The whole village of Basaha VDC-1 are deprived of drinking water for two weeks after the dead body of one Jagat Bahadur Raut was cremated at a cesspool at the bank of Teendovane River which has been used by the villagers as a source of water. Due to this the villagers have to fetch water from Aanpkhola which is at a distance of more than half hour.
Source: Gorkhapatra, March 7, 2007
Problem of Water in the city
Ilam: Ilam city is suffering from water crisis because of the reduction in water distribution from thirty-six to one hour due to the renovation at the source. Although the pipeline had got damaged at Koiralo nearby Maimajhuwa, source of water, two years before, the maintenance could not be done due to Maoist obstacle. Local development Treasury has provided 26 lakh for it. People will have to suffer for one month until its completion.
Source: Nepal Samacharpatra, March 5, 2007; Annapurna Post, March 6, 2007′
Pvt suppliers make hay as City water lines get choked - Deccan Herald
Need drinking water? Pay Rs 2 per pot! This is not the situation in the dry north Karnataka belt but in ‘cool, green’ Bangalore, where not a day passes without at least a dozen protests against the Cauvery water tribunal.
Need drinking water? Pay Rs 2 per pot! This is not the situation in the dry north Karnataka belt but in ‘cool, green’ Bangalore, where not a day passes without at least a dozen protests against the Cauvery water tribunal.
This paper has received several complaints regarding short supply of drinking water in the last few days. On a reality check, this reporter found people in many localities — Kalyan Nagar, Vishweshwara Nagar, Muneshwara Nagar, Anand Nagar, parts of Vijaya Nagar, Bharati Nagar and Shanti Nagar — do face severe drinking water shortage.
Says Ms Victoria of Muneshwara Nagar, “We’ve been buying water paying Rs 2 per pot for the the past 20 days. Otherwise, we would have to buy a tank of water, paying Rs 350″. “Earlier we used to get water twice a week. But for the last 20 days, there is no supply at all. Everyone in the family is busy fetching water from distant places”, she adds.
‘Pressure’ on pipes
Ditto the the situation in parts of Bhartinagar and Shantinagar Assembly constituencies where many residents rely on private water suppliers. Mr Kannan, a coffee planter residing at Artillery Road, says that for the past three months “we and our neighbours are not getting drinking water regularly”.
“We’ve been purchasing water at Rs 375 for one tank (4,500 litres). On record, we are getting drinking water on ‘alternate nights’, but in reality it is not so. If water is supplied to two streets at once, we would not get sufficient water because of less pressure in the supply pipes,” he adds.
Similar is the plight of residents of Chandra Layout, MC layout, Dasarahalli and Shivanalli. Though they get water on alternate days it the low pressure in the pipes ensure that it is not enough.
First and second-floor residents have no choice but to literally carry water from the ground floor if they do not have sumps or such other facilities.
Midnight queues
Shivalingappa, resident of the Police Quarters, Jogupalya, says drinking water has been a problem “for many years”. “We get drinking water only at around midnight. Sometimes supply is stopped by 2 am itself. Moreover, only two taps have been provided for the quarters with 84 houses and that forces us to stand in long queues at night. Now we bank on neighbouring localities and private suppliers,” he adds.
People living in Deenabandhu Nagar, Gouthampura, Ulsoor, Hoysalanagar face the same problem.
Radhamma of Ulsoor says residents spend nights in queues to fetch water. “Earlier we used to get water till 8 am. But now supply is stopped in the middle of night. If we don’t queue up at midnight, we won’t get water at all.”
Source: Waterjustice
