Ugrachandi Nala VDC of Kavre situated on Bhaktapur border has managed to win over many newcomers´ appreciation.[break]
The stone spouts are well maintained and to prevent wastage of water, the locals have fitted taps inside the spouts. Nowhere can one find garbage accumulating, though the village is densely populated with total 1331 households.
Drinking purified water, using toilet, washing hands with soap before and after eating and keeping the surrounding clean seem quite common for folks who grow up in cities. But most residents of Ugrachandi Nala VDC have barely begun to get used to these activities.
"I started using toilet since a year ago, mainly out of compulsion as otherwise the VDC will charge Rs 1000 fine if I defecate in the open,” says 63 years old Rajendra Bajracharya, a Nala resident.
The post ODF program seems to be working as the government came up with the total sanitation program for those VDCs and municipalities which have met the Open Defecation Free (ODF) target till now. The master plan on sanitation, endorsed by the Ministry of Urban Development, defines five key components to achieve total sanitation and one additional component.
The total sanitation campaign began in Nala as soon as it was declared ODF in March 23 this year with all households in the VDC having access to toilet. Around 300 new toilets were built within a few months to meet the ODF target here.
Once ODF target is met, the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) continues the sanitation process to include all other components of sanitation, mentioned Diwakar Ghimire, an engineer with the department.
In order to specify the progress of every family unit, the government provides two types of sticker -- blue and green to those DDCs and VDCs which have met the ODF target. The social mobilizers at VDC level wash committee (VWASHCC) put tick marks on indicators all the members of a particular household adopt as habits.
A household gets green sticker after meeting all the five requirements, explains Shyam Sundar Shrestha, the local coordinator of the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) in Nala, to be held in the Capital from Oct 22-24.
Currently, 700 households of the six wards -- 1, 2,3,6,7 and 8 -- in the VDC have received blue stickers. A team of five volunteers in every ward are responsible to observe whether the folks are improving their habits or not. Though many of them have met all the requirements, the committee is hoping that at least two or three dozen houses would achieve the 5+1, added Shrestha.
With the enthusiasm of villagers to achieve the sanitation goals, the department has identified another VDC Sharda Batashe along with Nala for field visits of the participants of SACOSAN.
In fact, it is now the responsibility of the folks to maintain these activities to remain in the race of living in clean localities along with personal hygiene, says Dipika Bista, a social campaigner at Sharda Batashe. Desperate to be the first ODF VDC in Kavre, the locals had built 35 toilets within a week in this village. As a result, it was declared ODF zone on July 25 last year after all 532 houses built toilets.
The VWASHCC has affixed blue stickers on 190 households here. "As we have very less time to prepare for welcoming the foreign visitors, we will continue to mobilize volunteers and awareness work during Dashain as well," says Bidur Prasad Humagain, a member of the local committee formed to welcome SACOSAN participants in Sharda Batashe.
The visitors can visit around ward 9, where the locals would display Newar food, dance and lifestyle. Similarly, ward -6, the locality of Thakuris, will offer varieties of local fruits, vegetable and a display of local farming techniques. Likewise, the Danuwar-Rai settlement in ward 4 will give the visitors a picture of the cultural values of ethnic people in the country, explained Humagain.
Both the VDCs have prepared a ward-wise team that would monitor how each households fare for each indicator, says Engineer Rajendra Shrestha, currently deployed at the Division of Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage Management in Kavre.
According to the DWSS Engineer Diwakar Ghimire, the office has begun a pilot project for total sanitation few localities. As a result, Amarawati VDC of Nawalparasi district has become the first unit to achieve all the components of post ODF sanitation indicators.
Diarrhea cases decline sharply
Only five diarrhea patients came seeking medical treatment at the health posts in the last six months, whereas 60-70 serious patients visited during the previous rainy season, according to Saroj Thapa, a Senior Assistant Health Worker of Sharda Batashe VDC.
Ugrachandi Nala based female community health volunteer share a similar experience. "The diarrhea cases surfaced during rainy season when overflowing drainage and garbage mixed with drinking water resources in the locality," said the 51-year-old health volunteer Subhadra Bajgain of Nala.
Treating sewerage before dumping into river
The Nala VWASHCC has established a sewerage treatment plant with the help of locally available resources before dumping it into the Punyamata River. The treatment plant established on ropani and four ana land filters the human excreta through the pebbles and Narkat plant.
The treatment plant started operating from April this year, and currently covers 354 households. Built at the cost of Rs 9.1 million, with the support of the WaterAid Nepal, the committee charges Rs 500 to each household per year to maintain the plant.
Though the sewerage treatment plants have been established many places, the one in Nala is considered the most well-maintained among all, says Anita Pradhan, communication Officer at WaterAid Nepal.
The 5+1 total sanitation concept
1) Do not defecate in open- use toilet
2) Hand-wash with soap
3) Drink safe (filtered and boiled) water
4) Hygienic Food
5) Clean house
+1) Clean locality
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