Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu , June 14[2007]: The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works is writing a "final" letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) tomorrow on its stance on the Melamchi Water Supply Project.
"We will write to the ADB tomorrow, requesting it to let the Melamchi project materialise the way we want," Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami told this daily today. The ADB headquarters sent a letter to the ministry yesterday, urging Yami to clarify her stance. The ADB also asked the ministry to respond at the earliest so that Nepal's final stance on the project can be discussed at the ADB's board meeting, slated for June 16 in Manila.
The ADB has been asking the government to adhere to what the former government decided ― let the British company, Severn Trent Water International (ST), work ― if it wants the ADB loan for the $500m project.
The ministry has said it will accept the ADB loan if the government chooses any other means of institutional reformation for distribution of water in the valley, except the handover of the operation of valley's water distribution system to the ST.
Ruling out the "comeback of the ST", Yami said she has a new plan to let Nepali or other foreign experts handle the valley's water distribution system.
She said that the ministry is now working on strengthening the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khane pani Limited, Kathmandu Valley Water Board and Tariff Fixing Committee.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Monday, June 04, 2007
Pact to rid Tarai water of arsenic
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, June 3[2007]:
The government, along with three international partners, will spend over one million dollars over the coming 18 months to mitigate the adverse effect of arsenic, a type of carcinogenic mineral found in most of groundwater in Tarai.
A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed today between the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage and three UN organisations.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) agreed to support Nepal, pledging a fund of over $1,182,192. The fund will be spent on 20 arsenic-prone districts by the end of 2008.
As per the MoU, the DWSS shall allocate Rs 27,692,000 ($395,600) to purchase test kit reagents, arsenic removal options/components and supplies for new wells.
The UN-HABITAT shall contribute $303,661 to support the cost of training, well testing, supervision, monitoring and entry of information into the arsenic management information
database; support public information dissemination; and supply arsenic removal filter components.
The WHO shall contribute $28,000 to support capacity building for arsenicosis screening and management and develop district surveillance and patient referral systems according to the attached Project Proposal and Budget.
The UNICEF shall contribute $302,931 to support the cost of well testing, supervision and monitoring, verification tests, material for reinstalling wells, installation of filters and dissemination of test results in the districts. The project will conduct tests in around 350,000 wells. It will cover around 3.5 million people through well-testing and 135,000 people through arsenic mitigation.
Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical adviser to the UN-HABITAT, said that the overall aim of the project is to address the problem of arsenic contamination in drinking water in 20 Tarai districts, through a programme of blanket testing of all wells providing drinking water, provide and promote options to avoid arsenic contaminated water or remove arsenic from drinking water and identify arsenic affected persons and support the case management of arsenicosis patients.
The MoU was signed by Ishwor Man Tamrakar, director general of the DWSS, Atoine King, the director of Programme Support Division of the UN-HABITAT, Han Heijnen, the
Environmental Health Advisor of WHO and Larry Robertson, the chief of CWE Section of the UNICEF.
Over the last three years, the testing activities have been scaled up through DWSS (with UNICEF support) and up to March 2007, over 637,000 wells have been tested in 13 districts.
Out of this, 8 per cent of the wells showed concentrations higher than the WHO guideline value of 10 ppb, whereas around 2.3 per cent of the wells exceeded the Nepali Interim Standard of 50 ppb. Based on these test results, it is estimated that over one million people living in Tarai districts may be drinking water with an arsenic concentration higher than the WHO guideline, and nearly 300,000 people are using arsenic contaminated water higher than the government’s interim guideline value of 50 ppb.
[ KATHMANDU, JUNE 04, 2007, Jestha 21, 2064 ]
Kathmandu, June 3[2007]:
The government, along with three international partners, will spend over one million dollars over the coming 18 months to mitigate the adverse effect of arsenic, a type of carcinogenic mineral found in most of groundwater in Tarai.
A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed today between the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage and three UN organisations.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) agreed to support Nepal, pledging a fund of over $1,182,192. The fund will be spent on 20 arsenic-prone districts by the end of 2008.
As per the MoU, the DWSS shall allocate Rs 27,692,000 ($395,600) to purchase test kit reagents, arsenic removal options/components and supplies for new wells.
The UN-HABITAT shall contribute $303,661 to support the cost of training, well testing, supervision, monitoring and entry of information into the arsenic management information
database; support public information dissemination; and supply arsenic removal filter components.
The WHO shall contribute $28,000 to support capacity building for arsenicosis screening and management and develop district surveillance and patient referral systems according to the attached Project Proposal and Budget.
The UNICEF shall contribute $302,931 to support the cost of well testing, supervision and monitoring, verification tests, material for reinstalling wells, installation of filters and dissemination of test results in the districts. The project will conduct tests in around 350,000 wells. It will cover around 3.5 million people through well-testing and 135,000 people through arsenic mitigation.
Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical adviser to the UN-HABITAT, said that the overall aim of the project is to address the problem of arsenic contamination in drinking water in 20 Tarai districts, through a programme of blanket testing of all wells providing drinking water, provide and promote options to avoid arsenic contaminated water or remove arsenic from drinking water and identify arsenic affected persons and support the case management of arsenicosis patients.
The MoU was signed by Ishwor Man Tamrakar, director general of the DWSS, Atoine King, the director of Programme Support Division of the UN-HABITAT, Han Heijnen, the
Environmental Health Advisor of WHO and Larry Robertson, the chief of CWE Section of the UNICEF.
Over the last three years, the testing activities have been scaled up through DWSS (with UNICEF support) and up to March 2007, over 637,000 wells have been tested in 13 districts.
Out of this, 8 per cent of the wells showed concentrations higher than the WHO guideline value of 10 ppb, whereas around 2.3 per cent of the wells exceeded the Nepali Interim Standard of 50 ppb. Based on these test results, it is estimated that over one million people living in Tarai districts may be drinking water with an arsenic concentration higher than the WHO guideline, and nearly 300,000 people are using arsenic contaminated water higher than the government’s interim guideline value of 50 ppb.
[ KATHMANDU, JUNE 04, 2007, Jestha 21, 2064 ]
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Lobbying on to bring back Bikram tempos
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, June 1[2007]:
The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) is making secret arrangements to bring back diesel-run Bikram tempos back in the capital streets.
Following a series of protests, environmentalists had finally succeeded in banning the polluting Bikram tempos three-and-a-half years ago.
The government had then introduced a plan for the Bikram owners to replace the two-stroke diesel-run vehicles with gas or battery operated ones. The government had made a provision for them whereby they could import one microbus or two sets of three wheelers with 75 per cent tax exemption.
“Some parties are piling pressure on the ministry to grant permission to two parties who want to import diesel-run three wheelers,” a source in the ministry said.
Without naming them, he said a motorcycle importer and an eminent industrial group have been urging the ministry to make an “extraordinary” decision on importing the banned vehicles.
“The ministry’s regulations have no provision of granting permission to import diesel-run three-wheelers. But they claim that the ones they would bring in are ‘improved’ ones. They also want us to revise the regulation or ignore it altogether so that a decision could be taken to let them import the vehicles,” the source said.
While two rounds of meetings of “stakeholders” have taken place in the ministry in this regard, a third round was scheduled for today. The source added that the parties plan to import an infinite number of “dangerous” vehicles in Nepal.
Joint-secretary at the MEST Khumraj Punjali admitted that two parties have approached the ministry for acquiring licences to import diesel three-wheelers. He refused to give details and said the ministry is not taking any decision very soon.
“It is very disappointing that some businessmen are again planning something that will give rise to air pollution in the Valley,” said Bhushan Tuladhar, executive chairman of Environment and Public Health Organisation.
Gopal Raj Joshi, the chief of Clean Energy Nepal, said environmentalists would obviously come to the streets again, adding no prominent environmentalist was invited to the so-called stakeholders’ meetings.
[ KATHMANDU, JUNE 02, 2007, Jestha 19, 2064 ]
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0sa2qzpa5a5a8a4qa.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=
Home&dtSiteDate=20070602
Kathmandu, June 1[2007]:
The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) is making secret arrangements to bring back diesel-run Bikram tempos back in the capital streets.
Following a series of protests, environmentalists had finally succeeded in banning the polluting Bikram tempos three-and-a-half years ago.
The government had then introduced a plan for the Bikram owners to replace the two-stroke diesel-run vehicles with gas or battery operated ones. The government had made a provision for them whereby they could import one microbus or two sets of three wheelers with 75 per cent tax exemption.
“Some parties are piling pressure on the ministry to grant permission to two parties who want to import diesel-run three wheelers,” a source in the ministry said.
Without naming them, he said a motorcycle importer and an eminent industrial group have been urging the ministry to make an “extraordinary” decision on importing the banned vehicles.
“The ministry’s regulations have no provision of granting permission to import diesel-run three-wheelers. But they claim that the ones they would bring in are ‘improved’ ones. They also want us to revise the regulation or ignore it altogether so that a decision could be taken to let them import the vehicles,” the source said.
While two rounds of meetings of “stakeholders” have taken place in the ministry in this regard, a third round was scheduled for today. The source added that the parties plan to import an infinite number of “dangerous” vehicles in Nepal.
Joint-secretary at the MEST Khumraj Punjali admitted that two parties have approached the ministry for acquiring licences to import diesel three-wheelers. He refused to give details and said the ministry is not taking any decision very soon.
“It is very disappointing that some businessmen are again planning something that will give rise to air pollution in the Valley,” said Bhushan Tuladhar, executive chairman of Environment and Public Health Organisation.
Gopal Raj Joshi, the chief of Clean Energy Nepal, said environmentalists would obviously come to the streets again, adding no prominent environmentalist was invited to the so-called stakeholders’ meetings.
[ KATHMANDU, JUNE 02, 2007, Jestha 19, 2064 ]
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0sa2qzpa5a5a8a4qa.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=
Home&dtSiteDate=20070602
Friday, June 01, 2007
INGOs plan Bengal tiger census in Nepal
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 30[2007]:
Various international non-government organisations are making plans to carry out a census of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) in Nepal’s national parks.
Recent studies have put the number of the wild cats in Nepal at about 350 to 375.
A tiger survey has been initiated in the Bardia National Park with a focus on the Babai river floodplain. A team of seven park personnel will start monitoring from the Chepang area, the gateway of the Babai, according to the last updated draft of the tiger count plan.
“We are currently working on methods to conduct a survey in the national parks to find
out how many tigers are living in the habitat, which is constantly under human threat,” Dr Ghanashyam Gurung, the action country representative of WWF Nepal, told The Himalayan Times.
He expressed the hope that the count will most probably begin this season with support from various other institutions and will last for some six months.
“This is the first time the WWF is initiating such a survey. The past five years of the insurgency have had a marked impact on wildlife population in the Babai river floodplain,” he said.
Gurung added that the WWF will also develop a congregated methodology of counting rhinos. He, however, refused to comment on the financial aspect of the surveys.
The current tiger population estimation is based on various sources and surveys carried out in the past three decades.
However, it has been felt that there is insufficient information on the demographic patterns of the tigers such as population structure, spatial distribution, home-range size, movements, social organisations, age-structure, survival rate, extent for breeding etc, according to a recent outline document for tiger conservation.
Currently, three isolated areas in Nepal remain as tiger habitats. Chitwan occupies the largest area where 75 per cent of the tigers are within protected areas. The other two populations are those in Bardia and Shuklaphanta.
A $1million revised action plan to conserve tigers and their habitat is on the final stage of drafting. It will consolidate various programmes on tigers for the coming five years.
Kathmandu, January 30[2007]:
Various international non-government organisations are making plans to carry out a census of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) in Nepal’s national parks.
Recent studies have put the number of the wild cats in Nepal at about 350 to 375.
A tiger survey has been initiated in the Bardia National Park with a focus on the Babai river floodplain. A team of seven park personnel will start monitoring from the Chepang area, the gateway of the Babai, according to the last updated draft of the tiger count plan.
“We are currently working on methods to conduct a survey in the national parks to find
out how many tigers are living in the habitat, which is constantly under human threat,” Dr Ghanashyam Gurung, the action country representative of WWF Nepal, told The Himalayan Times.
He expressed the hope that the count will most probably begin this season with support from various other institutions and will last for some six months.
“This is the first time the WWF is initiating such a survey. The past five years of the insurgency have had a marked impact on wildlife population in the Babai river floodplain,” he said.
Gurung added that the WWF will also develop a congregated methodology of counting rhinos. He, however, refused to comment on the financial aspect of the surveys.
The current tiger population estimation is based on various sources and surveys carried out in the past three decades.
However, it has been felt that there is insufficient information on the demographic patterns of the tigers such as population structure, spatial distribution, home-range size, movements, social organisations, age-structure, survival rate, extent for breeding etc, according to a recent outline document for tiger conservation.
Currently, three isolated areas in Nepal remain as tiger habitats. Chitwan occupies the largest area where 75 per cent of the tigers are within protected areas. The other two populations are those in Bardia and Shuklaphanta.
A $1million revised action plan to conserve tigers and their habitat is on the final stage of drafting. It will consolidate various programmes on tigers for the coming five years.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
"Nepal Adahrsha 41"
My school, my pride!
I’m proud of many things. And today I’m really proud of my school. There is nothing special in my school itself – all schools in the world are as good as mine. What made me proud is that I belong to the group of people who are proud of their schools. Indeed, the beloved school produced them all.
A blissful rendezvous took place yesterday 92007-05-12) at Park Village, who had appeared in SLC ten years ago (…) from Nepal Adarsha Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, (Ganabahal, Kathmandu, Nepal). I really felt nostalgic may be for the first time for my naïve, simple and straightforward school days. Those were the days – I murmured.
I felt embarrassed Raj and Suresh told me about this programme two weeks ago. I hardly remembered anybody from my class. I tried to remember some – Gautam, Sanuraja, Ujwal, Rabindra, Bishwa, Aishwayarya and some. I visited at Ujwal’s and asked him to find some more friends. I later failed to collect any as he himself could not participate.
I was wondering what kind of faces I would see when I went to Mahakal temple at 2.00 pm. I saw some familiar faces – I recognized them just because I was told that they would be there.
And the after waiting for some more minutes we took off to the venue. We felt uncomfortable in the luxurious and formal hall – it was like a seminar – always a ‘no-no’ for me. Some refereed to be in the garden and some said the verandah would be okay. But we had to be in the hall.
After a lengthy introduction round – lengthy because hardly anybody would remember you from the crowd just because you tell them your name. It was still interesting to listen to the names you had forgotten long ago.
The discussion turned serious as Ashakaji proposed to help the school as it is in misery. Different ideas sparked all of a sudden and our gathering turned into a serious discussion what most of us did not want. I suggested continuing it two parts –one be an informal gathering and another be a brainstorming to support the school.
We all realized that gathering like it was necessary and should be held frequently. We came to a point of making a website and an e-group. Some added that telephone list would also be necessary as many do not have access to internet.
A refreshing tea break brought us closer and started gossipy comments - who changed how much, who is working where and who has how many children and so on. I could not hear if some were recalling they school day romance - only two of the pairs materialised their dreams. Many among us are living abroad. I have a secret to tell – only one among us was fortunate to remain unmarried – don’t tell others... It was followed by a jolly photo session.
The second part was really serious. First, a proposal came to make a fund by contributing regularly so that it could be used a capital to issue loan for our members. It was a good idea but we preferred to concentrate on making charity for the school.
Then we jumped into the possibility of helping the school. We all were aware that our dear school was in deplorable condition and we felt as if it was asking us for some help. Genius, interesting, and thought-provoking ideas spouted one after another. Let me jot them without giving the credit for each.
=The school is now in deplorable condition. It lack students, the SLC results are discouraging and there is no incentives for parents to enroll their children there.
I’m proud of many things. And today I’m really proud of my school. There is nothing special in my school itself – all schools in the world are as good as mine. What made me proud is that I belong to the group of people who are proud of their schools. Indeed, the beloved school produced them all.
A blissful rendezvous took place yesterday 92007-05-12) at Park Village, who had appeared in SLC ten years ago (…) from Nepal Adarsha Madhyamik Bidhyalaya, (Ganabahal, Kathmandu, Nepal). I really felt nostalgic may be for the first time for my naïve, simple and straightforward school days. Those were the days – I murmured.
I felt embarrassed Raj and Suresh told me about this programme two weeks ago. I hardly remembered anybody from my class. I tried to remember some – Gautam, Sanuraja, Ujwal, Rabindra, Bishwa, Aishwayarya and some. I visited at Ujwal’s and asked him to find some more friends. I later failed to collect any as he himself could not participate.
I was wondering what kind of faces I would see when I went to Mahakal temple at 2.00 pm. I saw some familiar faces – I recognized them just because I was told that they would be there.
And the after waiting for some more minutes we took off to the venue. We felt uncomfortable in the luxurious and formal hall – it was like a seminar – always a ‘no-no’ for me. Some refereed to be in the garden and some said the verandah would be okay. But we had to be in the hall.
After a lengthy introduction round – lengthy because hardly anybody would remember you from the crowd just because you tell them your name. It was still interesting to listen to the names you had forgotten long ago.
The discussion turned serious as Ashakaji proposed to help the school as it is in misery. Different ideas sparked all of a sudden and our gathering turned into a serious discussion what most of us did not want. I suggested continuing it two parts –one be an informal gathering and another be a brainstorming to support the school.
We all realized that gathering like it was necessary and should be held frequently. We came to a point of making a website and an e-group. Some added that telephone list would also be necessary as many do not have access to internet.
A refreshing tea break brought us closer and started gossipy comments - who changed how much, who is working where and who has how many children and so on. I could not hear if some were recalling they school day romance - only two of the pairs materialised their dreams. Many among us are living abroad. I have a secret to tell – only one among us was fortunate to remain unmarried – don’t tell others... It was followed by a jolly photo session.
The second part was really serious. First, a proposal came to make a fund by contributing regularly so that it could be used a capital to issue loan for our members. It was a good idea but we preferred to concentrate on making charity for the school.
Then we jumped into the possibility of helping the school. We all were aware that our dear school was in deplorable condition and we felt as if it was asking us for some help. Genius, interesting, and thought-provoking ideas spouted one after another. Let me jot them without giving the credit for each.
=The school is now in deplorable condition. It lack students, the SLC results are discouraging and there is no incentives for parents to enroll their children there.
=We may collect fund by ourselves by paying Rs 50 or 100 per month to contribute the fund to the school. We may later go to industrialists who had studied in our school for bigger fund.
=We may help school in collecting children.
=We may provide sponsorship for some needy students.
=We may also sponsor some brilliant students so that the school’s SLC result will improve.
=We may raise a fund to pay some good teachers for taking extra classes as SLC preparation course for some selected students.
=We may collect some money for the school by organizing a cultural programme.
=We can invite the teachers for a dinner and discuss over the situation of the school and ask them what we can do for them.
And followed some critical comments too:=Money is not the problem for the school.
And followed some critical comments too:=Money is not the problem for the school.
=It is the internal problem of two factions in the management or the teachers, which should be solved.
=How can the school improve when a teacher is running a private boarding school at his home?=We all love our school but we should not forget the ground reality.
=We should not propose any help to the school that it may not welcome or need.
=Our help would be meaningful only if the school management disapproves=We should understand the cause behind this deterioration.
=Trying to collect student for our school is meaningless if the teachers themselves do not enroll their children in the school they care for.
Let me come to my points now. There is no doubt, I love my school, I honour my teachers and wish all the best I can for the school’s future. Beside this sentiment, I believe that the school does not need our help. We all know that the government schools are harvesting good crops every year. They don’t care if the number of student is going down or they are giving shameful results in SLC (I’m not talking about some newsmakers). Our dear school is also running in sufficiency if not in affluence. Regardless of the bleak image, the teachers are well paid and have much more facilities than they deserve. So much so, some private school teachers recently staged a demonstration, demanding as much of payments as the government school teachers are cashing.
What our school lacked is commitment and transparency. First they must be committed to continue the 55-year old legacy of the school. Then they should make the school suitable for the present students’ demand – glorious history is not enough to run a school in this century. On the top of it, we see the school slowly turning into a business mall – there is a printing press, a motorbike workshop, a grocery and what not. When the teachers are not paying attention to decreasing number of students, they are making money out of the vacant classrooms. If we really love our school and feel a sense of responsibility toward it, we must seek the details of the school’s income and expenditures. This is the intervention we can make and the school really deserves. Are we ready? But of course, there is no doubt that we must feel the pain if the school is suffering and be ready to offer our small helping hands – as much as we could.
Finally, we made a 10-member team to go to the school and talk with the school management. We would rather ask them what help we could offer. And after that we will visit the school in group.
Yes. We made it a decision to make similar gathering once a year and one of the gathering is going to take place in the school itself!
After the hot discussion, we really did not want to go for merry making as we planned. We again wanted to go to the Budhanilkantha temple but, we sat in the bar and waited for the dinner. After the nice dinner, we came back to our present day world, we have to live with.
Friday, February 16, 2007
An Unconvinient Truth - that is our country
It was chilly morning but I made myself ready to watch the much talked film "An unconvinient Truth".
Wow! I had to say when I came out of the all.
It was only Al Gore, the former vice-presiden of the US, who was speaking, in the form of a talk programme. In which he easily, technically, socially and humously described what the whole topic of global warming is. Adding some touching topic of his family and his experiteince worldwide, he proved himselfe more scientiests than a scientist.
I'm not going to review the film here. But let me say thit was indeed a must see film for all, for those who cares about the earth, the environement and the global warming.
There might be some politicla touches, when he subtly criticised the Bush governmetn for not listening to voices of ratifying Kyoto Protocol. But, I'm not criticising Bush if I say that it must be done in time, no matter which government comes in which country.
Lastly, I wondered, is there any single politician who can talk about the technicalities of global warming. The face and way of talking of our great "loktantrik" minsiter for Environment, Science and Technologies Man Bahadur Bishowakarma came in my mind. What will he be speaking if I ask him what is global warming. He might say, "When the seminar is gong on? In which country? You know, I'm very busy but I will certainly go. I believe it is a very important issue". F***
=
And it was a Army Day today.
Our glorious Gurkhas have shown how able they are when they were fighitng in full-scale agains "terrorists" and what achievements they have gained. This year, they are enjoying the full freedom of deploying in Tundikhel, where even the idols were plucked out and thrown out.
I come to believe the our army, if they failed to be anything, will certainly be best musicians. I salute them.
==
Wow! I had to say when I came out of the all.
It was only Al Gore, the former vice-presiden of the US, who was speaking, in the form of a talk programme. In which he easily, technically, socially and humously described what the whole topic of global warming is. Adding some touching topic of his family and his experiteince worldwide, he proved himselfe more scientiests than a scientist.
I'm not going to review the film here. But let me say thit was indeed a must see film for all, for those who cares about the earth, the environement and the global warming.
There might be some politicla touches, when he subtly criticised the Bush governmetn for not listening to voices of ratifying Kyoto Protocol. But, I'm not criticising Bush if I say that it must be done in time, no matter which government comes in which country.
Lastly, I wondered, is there any single politician who can talk about the technicalities of global warming. The face and way of talking of our great "loktantrik" minsiter for Environment, Science and Technologies Man Bahadur Bishowakarma came in my mind. What will he be speaking if I ask him what is global warming. He might say, "When the seminar is gong on? In which country? You know, I'm very busy but I will certainly go. I believe it is a very important issue". F***
=
And it was a Army Day today.
Our glorious Gurkhas have shown how able they are when they were fighitng in full-scale agains "terrorists" and what achievements they have gained. This year, they are enjoying the full freedom of deploying in Tundikhel, where even the idols were plucked out and thrown out.
I come to believe the our army, if they failed to be anything, will certainly be best musicians. I salute them.
==
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Today's bandh
The indigineous people today finally had to call Valley bandh, obviously to have thier say heard. There are thousand of reason sto applaud the April movment but I'm sorry to tell you it also taught us that you have to go for banth, some pelting of stones, some threatening to riders and drivers and some other "forceful" elements to make the government listen to you.
When the king Gyanendra was enjoying his "by-chance" regime directly after importring his valued advisors like Tulsi Giri and others, we thought that the kings are all miser to give what we ask. But this great "statesman" Girija Prasad Koirala broke the record of Gyanendra by not giving even in his second address to the nation. It was only a remix of the first version. Let it be.
And this led the indigineous people to go for this kind of unpopular ways of protesting for their demands. Their demands are all genuine they need to go for protests to get them fulfilled. But I belied those had to be addressed even before they were demanded, so that they could be managed in more "civilised" way.
And, I wonder why we are wasting our energy in demanding something which is now almost fulfilled. I don't think anybody again can seat on the hot seat without making Nepal a federal republic, with ethnic and regional autonomy now. Then why the fuss?
When the king Gyanendra was enjoying his "by-chance" regime directly after importring his valued advisors like Tulsi Giri and others, we thought that the kings are all miser to give what we ask. But this great "statesman" Girija Prasad Koirala broke the record of Gyanendra by not giving even in his second address to the nation. It was only a remix of the first version. Let it be.
And this led the indigineous people to go for this kind of unpopular ways of protesting for their demands. Their demands are all genuine they need to go for protests to get them fulfilled. But I belied those had to be addressed even before they were demanded, so that they could be managed in more "civilised" way.
And, I wonder why we are wasting our energy in demanding something which is now almost fulfilled. I don't think anybody again can seat on the hot seat without making Nepal a federal republic, with ethnic and regional autonomy now. Then why the fuss?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I promise, I will be regular here nowonwards
Oh my god!
I have had my blog here.
I will be regular, I swear.
I'm craving to blog in English....
I have had my blog here.
I will be regular, I swear.
I'm craving to blog in English....
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Tiger census planned in Nepal
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 31[2007]:
Various international non-government organisations are making plans to carry out a census of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) in Nepal's national parks.
Recent studies have put the number of the wild cats in Nepal at about 350 to 375.
A tiger survey has been initiated in the Bardia National Park with a focus on the Babai river floodplain. A team of seven park personnel will start monitoring from the Chepang area, the gateway of the Babai, according to the last updated draft of the tiger count plan.
"We are currently working on methods to conduct a survey in the national parks to find out how many tigers are living in the habitat, which is constantly under human threat," Dr Ghanashyam Gurung, the action country representative of WWF Nepal, told The Himalayan Times.
He expressed the hope that the count will most probably begin this season with support from various other institutions and will last for some six months.
"This is the first time the WWF is initiating such a survey. The past five years of the insurgency have had a marked impact on wildlife population in the Babai river floodplain," he said.
Gurung added that the WWF will also develop a congregated methodology of counting rhinos. He, however, refused to comment on the financial aspect of the surveys.
The current tiger population estimation is based on various sources and surveys carried out in the past three decades.
However, it has been felt that there is insufficient information on the demographic patterns of the tigers such as population structure, spatial distribution, home-range size, movements, social organisations, age-structure, survival rate, extent for breeding etc, according to a recent outline document for tiger conservation.
Currently, three isolated areas in Nepal remain as tiger habitats. Chitwan occupies the largest area where 75 per cent of the tigers are within protected areas. The other two populations are those in Bardia and Shuklaphanta.
A $1million revised action plan to conserve tigers and their habitat is on the final stage of drafting. It will consolidate various programmes on tigers for the coming five years.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp? filename=aFanata0va2qzpa4a9Ta8a9a.axamal&folder=aHaoamW &Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20070131
Kathmandu, January 31[2007]:
Various international non-government organisations are making plans to carry out a census of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) in Nepal's national parks.
Recent studies have put the number of the wild cats in Nepal at about 350 to 375.
A tiger survey has been initiated in the Bardia National Park with a focus on the Babai river floodplain. A team of seven park personnel will start monitoring from the Chepang area, the gateway of the Babai, according to the last updated draft of the tiger count plan.
"We are currently working on methods to conduct a survey in the national parks to find out how many tigers are living in the habitat, which is constantly under human threat," Dr Ghanashyam Gurung, the action country representative of WWF Nepal, told The Himalayan Times.
He expressed the hope that the count will most probably begin this season with support from various other institutions and will last for some six months.
"This is the first time the WWF is initiating such a survey. The past five years of the insurgency have had a marked impact on wildlife population in the Babai river floodplain," he said.
Gurung added that the WWF will also develop a congregated methodology of counting rhinos. He, however, refused to comment on the financial aspect of the surveys.
The current tiger population estimation is based on various sources and surveys carried out in the past three decades.
However, it has been felt that there is insufficient information on the demographic patterns of the tigers such as population structure, spatial distribution, home-range size, movements, social organisations, age-structure, survival rate, extent for breeding etc, according to a recent outline document for tiger conservation.
Currently, three isolated areas in Nepal remain as tiger habitats. Chitwan occupies the largest area where 75 per cent of the tigers are within protected areas. The other two populations are those in Bardia and Shuklaphanta.
A $1million revised action plan to conserve tigers and their habitat is on the final stage of drafting. It will consolidate various programmes on tigers for the coming five years.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp? filename=aFanata0va2qzpa4a9Ta8a9a.axamal&folder=aHaoamW &Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20070131
Time running out for EC to hold polls
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 31[2007]:
Only four months are left for holding an election to a constituent assembly but political parties are yet to decide the type of proportional representation system they have talked about.
The Election Commission (EC) has held around a dozen meetings with the parties in a bid to end uncertainties regarding CA polls but they (parties) have not yet decided about the poll process.
The EC had called a meeting today to bring party leaders together and discuss the election process but it was cancelled after none of them turned up.
“It is going to be difficult for the EC to do everything in this short period, as basic issues about election system are yet to be decided,” said EC spokesperson Laxman Bhattarai.
According to him, proportional representation through mixed system means either to choose parallel system (PS) or mixed member participation system (MMPS). “The two systems will produce entirely different results for they are meant for different kinds of representation,” he said.
NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC said his party supported PS. “NC will stand for PS for constituent assembly polls. We will present our views to EC soon,” he said.
NC-D leader Dr Narayan Khadka said his party would most likely moot for NC’s choice “though the party is yet to come up with final decision on the issue”.
“Our demand is to adopt total PR. If it is not possible, our party will go for MMPS,” said Shankar Pokharel of the CPN-UML.
Kathmandu, January 31[2007]:
Only four months are left for holding an election to a constituent assembly but political parties are yet to decide the type of proportional representation system they have talked about.
The Election Commission (EC) has held around a dozen meetings with the parties in a bid to end uncertainties regarding CA polls but they (parties) have not yet decided about the poll process.
The EC had called a meeting today to bring party leaders together and discuss the election process but it was cancelled after none of them turned up.
“It is going to be difficult for the EC to do everything in this short period, as basic issues about election system are yet to be decided,” said EC spokesperson Laxman Bhattarai.
According to him, proportional representation through mixed system means either to choose parallel system (PS) or mixed member participation system (MMPS). “The two systems will produce entirely different results for they are meant for different kinds of representation,” he said.
NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC said his party supported PS. “NC will stand for PS for constituent assembly polls. We will present our views to EC soon,” he said.
NC-D leader Dr Narayan Khadka said his party would most likely moot for NC’s choice “though the party is yet to come up with final decision on the issue”.
“Our demand is to adopt total PR. If it is not possible, our party will go for MMPS,” said Shankar Pokharel of the CPN-UML.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I'm thinking...
I'm thinking if I could use it as a collection of my reports. I hope people would enjoy reading my works.
What do you think?
What do you think?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Koshi river basin to be managed in integrated way
Thursday, 4. January 2007, 14:00:39
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 3:
Seventeen districts under the watershed areas of the Koshi river and its tributaries in the eastern Nepal are being integrated into a long-term conservation programme under the name of Koshi River Basin Management (KBRM).
The programme is being envisaged by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) of the government with technical support from WWF Nepal.
“We will cover all the areas of the eastern Nepal, which are considered important from the point of view of water, wetland, wildlife, vegetation and indigenous culture in one big programme,” said Neera Pradhan, programme manager. This is the first initiative of its kind in the country and the main objective is to explore partnership and formulate a vision for conservation, she said. The districts to be covered are: Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udayapur, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Saptari, Taplejung, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Panchthar, and Sunsari. The programme will bring Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu-Varun National Park, Kanchanjunga Conservation Area and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Area under a single umbrella institution.
Pradhan said the formulation of KBRM as a pilot programme was guided by the National Water Plan, a 25-year plan of the government to manage water for all purposes. A joint team of the government and WWF will soon visit selected areas to be covered by the programme and will prepare a strategic paper within a year, she said.
The importance of river basin management, instead of a project-to-project basis, lies in the inherent interrelation of water and land resources to form a unit. This approach focuses development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of ecosystem. Executive secretary of the WECS, Ram Krishna Tiwari, said the project will generate necessary information on resources within Koshi river basin to ensure their wise use.
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 3:
Seventeen districts under the watershed areas of the Koshi river and its tributaries in the eastern Nepal are being integrated into a long-term conservation programme under the name of Koshi River Basin Management (KBRM).
The programme is being envisaged by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) of the government with technical support from WWF Nepal.
“We will cover all the areas of the eastern Nepal, which are considered important from the point of view of water, wetland, wildlife, vegetation and indigenous culture in one big programme,” said Neera Pradhan, programme manager. This is the first initiative of its kind in the country and the main objective is to explore partnership and formulate a vision for conservation, she said. The districts to be covered are: Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udayapur, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Saptari, Taplejung, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Panchthar, and Sunsari. The programme will bring Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu-Varun National Park, Kanchanjunga Conservation Area and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Area under a single umbrella institution.
Pradhan said the formulation of KBRM as a pilot programme was guided by the National Water Plan, a 25-year plan of the government to manage water for all purposes. A joint team of the government and WWF will soon visit selected areas to be covered by the programme and will prepare a strategic paper within a year, she said.
The importance of river basin management, instead of a project-to-project basis, lies in the inherent interrelation of water and land resources to form a unit. This approach focuses development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of ecosystem. Executive secretary of the WECS, Ram Krishna Tiwari, said the project will generate necessary information on resources within Koshi river basin to ensure their wise use.
Koshi river basin to be managed in integrated way
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, January 3:
Seventeen districts under the watershed areas of the Koshi river and its tributaries in the eastern Nepal are being integrated into a long-term conservation programme under the name of Koshi River Basin Management (KBRM).
The programme is being envisaged by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) of the government with technical support from WWF Nepal.
“We will cover all the areas of the eastern Nepal, which are considered important from the point of view of water, wetland, wildlife, vegetation and indigenous culture in one big programme,” said Neera Pradhan, programme manager. This is the first initiative of its kind in the country and the main objective is to explore partnership and formulate a vision for conservation, she said. The districts to be covered are: Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udayapur, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Saptari, Taplejung, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Panchthar, and Sunsari. The programme will bring Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu-Varun National Park, Kanchanjunga Conservation Area and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Area under a single umbrella institution.
Pradhan said the formulation of KBRM as a pilot programme was guided by the National Water Plan, a 25-year plan of the government to manage water for all purposes. A joint team of the government and WWF will soon visit selected areas to be covered by the programme and will prepare a strategic paper within a year, she said.
The importance of river basin management, instead of a project-to-project basis, lies in the inherent interrelation of water and land resources to form a unit. This approach focuses development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of ecosystem. Executive secretary of the WECS, Ram Krishna Tiwari, said the project will generate necessary information on resources within Koshi river basin to ensure their wise use.
Kathmandu, January 3:
Seventeen districts under the watershed areas of the Koshi river and its tributaries in the eastern Nepal are being integrated into a long-term conservation programme under the name of Koshi River Basin Management (KBRM).
The programme is being envisaged by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) of the government with technical support from WWF Nepal.
“We will cover all the areas of the eastern Nepal, which are considered important from the point of view of water, wetland, wildlife, vegetation and indigenous culture in one big programme,” said Neera Pradhan, programme manager. This is the first initiative of its kind in the country and the main objective is to explore partnership and formulate a vision for conservation, she said. The districts to be covered are: Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udayapur, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Saptari, Taplejung, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Panchthar, and Sunsari. The programme will bring Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu-Varun National Park, Kanchanjunga Conservation Area and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Area under a single umbrella institution.
Pradhan said the formulation of KBRM as a pilot programme was guided by the National Water Plan, a 25-year plan of the government to manage water for all purposes. A joint team of the government and WWF will soon visit selected areas to be covered by the programme and will prepare a strategic paper within a year, she said.
The importance of river basin management, instead of a project-to-project basis, lies in the inherent interrelation of water and land resources to form a unit. This approach focuses development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of ecosystem. Executive secretary of the WECS, Ram Krishna Tiwari, said the project will generate necessary information on resources within Koshi river basin to ensure their wise use.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Rhinos may be extinct in 20 yrs: Experts
[Razen Manandhar]
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, December 31[2006]:
No rhinos will be left in the jungles of Nepal in 10 to 20 years if the present rate of rhino-poaching continues, a conservationist said today, even as other wildlife experts stressed the need to focus on efforts aimed at conserving rhinoceros.
“The total number of rhinos killed or died in 2006 must be around 47. One cannot even imagine that such an endangered species is being poached so rampantly. If rhino-poaching continues at this rate, no rhinos will be left in Nepal in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Mangal Man Shakya, chairman of the Wildlife Watch Group (WWG).
According to data made available by different conservation agencies, 29 to 47 rhinos were poached or died in the year 2006. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the government authority on wildlife affairs, says it does not have an
updated data on rhino-poaching. Nepal was home to over 800 rhinos until 1950, but the number went down to only 60 rhinos in 1960s. Thanks to the government’s conservation efforts and international support, the rhino population reached to 612 by 2000.
According to the statistics of Rhino Count, Nepal sheltered 544 rhinos in 2000 but only 372 were left in 2005.
It took only six years to cut the whole number into 343. A kilo of rhino horn costs Rs 3.5 million in international illegal trade market. Shakya asked, “And if the number of rhinos can go down by half in mere six or seven years, how many years will it take for the rhinos to become extinct here?”
As the poaching continued, the authorities concerned blame conflict, evacuation of security posts or political instability for the dwindling number of rhinos, but the situation worsened even during the post-conflict period.
Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Conservation Nepal Prasanna Yonzon said, “2006 has been a disaster for rhino conservation.”
The governments have never been serious about arrest poachers, he said, adding that even cabinet decisions help the administration to release convicted criminals. “It will be difficult to conserve rhinos in Nepal if the present rate of poaching continues.”
However, the tragedy of 2006 could be a lesson for future rhino conservation efforts.
Anil Manandhar, country representative of the WWF Nepal, said that the rising poaching incidents we came across in 2006 are indeed a lesson for conservationists. “Rather than working on paper, time has come for the conservationists to focus on actions aimed at conserving rhinoceros.”
[Monday, 1. January 2007]
Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu, December 31[2006]:
No rhinos will be left in the jungles of Nepal in 10 to 20 years if the present rate of rhino-poaching continues, a conservationist said today, even as other wildlife experts stressed the need to focus on efforts aimed at conserving rhinoceros.
“The total number of rhinos killed or died in 2006 must be around 47. One cannot even imagine that such an endangered species is being poached so rampantly. If rhino-poaching continues at this rate, no rhinos will be left in Nepal in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Mangal Man Shakya, chairman of the Wildlife Watch Group (WWG).
According to data made available by different conservation agencies, 29 to 47 rhinos were poached or died in the year 2006. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the government authority on wildlife affairs, says it does not have an
updated data on rhino-poaching. Nepal was home to over 800 rhinos until 1950, but the number went down to only 60 rhinos in 1960s. Thanks to the government’s conservation efforts and international support, the rhino population reached to 612 by 2000.
According to the statistics of Rhino Count, Nepal sheltered 544 rhinos in 2000 but only 372 were left in 2005.
It took only six years to cut the whole number into 343. A kilo of rhino horn costs Rs 3.5 million in international illegal trade market. Shakya asked, “And if the number of rhinos can go down by half in mere six or seven years, how many years will it take for the rhinos to become extinct here?”
As the poaching continued, the authorities concerned blame conflict, evacuation of security posts or political instability for the dwindling number of rhinos, but the situation worsened even during the post-conflict period.
Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Conservation Nepal Prasanna Yonzon said, “2006 has been a disaster for rhino conservation.”
The governments have never been serious about arrest poachers, he said, adding that even cabinet decisions help the administration to release convicted criminals. “It will be difficult to conserve rhinos in Nepal if the present rate of poaching continues.”
However, the tragedy of 2006 could be a lesson for future rhino conservation efforts.
Anil Manandhar, country representative of the WWF Nepal, said that the rising poaching incidents we came across in 2006 are indeed a lesson for conservationists. “Rather than working on paper, time has come for the conservationists to focus on actions aimed at conserving rhinoceros.”
[Monday, 1. January 2007]
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Talking about water rights
Razen Manandhar [Sunday, 24. December 2006]
Kathmandu:
According to legends and lore, the place where Kathmandu stands today was once a holy lake ten-twenty millennia ago.
It is said that a Chinese saint Manjushri came here, cut an outlet in the hills surrounding the lake with his magic sword letting the water drain out leaving a lush, green valley for people to live.
However, today in this same Valley, which was once a huge lake, people are striving for every drop of clean drinking water.
Kathmandu Valley has been reeling under acute water shortage for a decade now. Today it is being slapped with a new water management system. As per the conditions in the contract with the donors of the dream water project Melamchi, a foreign water management company is going to handle the country’s water authority — Nepal Water Supply Corporation, which has been enjoying monopoly — in at least the big cities, where water can make money.
Water activists have termed this move ‘privatisation’ and this does not fail to raise the government’s ire. However, privatisation or not, it is for sure that water will no longer be as cheap as it is now.
Moreover, the poor will have to pay even more in new system.
In this context, a serious question has been raised by the water activists: Will the new management be able to provide drinking water to poor in the Capital?
A gross estimation by Lumanti Support Group for Shelter states that at least 12,000 families in 60 settlements are living in extremely poor conditions.
Regardless of what the government has done or not done for the poor in terms of water distribution, it is now impossible to neglect their voice. It has now been internationally established that water is not a commodity for anyone to merchandise for profit, but a human rights issue: you cannot deny water to the poor because they cannot afford it.
This is the very reason that Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals aims to halve the number of people without access to clear water and sanitation by 2015. Target 11 aims to improve the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Apart from this, it has been made almost mandatory that all big water projects show their concern for the poor, which is reflected, at least on paper, in our context.
“You cannot talk about water if you do not want to talk about the poor people,” says Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor to UN-HABITAT, the United Nation’s Human Settlements Programme.
The access to clean water is not a problem unique to Kathmandu Valley or Nepal. It is a universal problem, but it is one that has crossed all limits in the Asia Pacific region where 61 per cent of the global population and 43 per cent of the world urban population live. The cities are growing rapidly and so is the disparity between the rich and poor city dwellers. Urban poverty is an unavoidable feature of all Asian cities.
In her recent message, Dr Anna K Tibaujuka, under secretary-general of the UN and the executive director of UN-HABITAT said, “Urban poverty is a severe, pervasive and largely unacknowledged feature of modern life.”
She has specially shown interest in improving the water and sanitation situation in Nepal.
The UN-HABITAT is committed to bring new investments of $ 500 million for water and sanitation to the urban poor, and Nepal is going to have $ 2.5 million under its Water for Asian Cities Programme.
A four-day Asia Pacific Ministers Conference held in New Delhi from December 13-16 came up with the historic Delhi Declaration on this issue. The conference was participated by housing ministers from around 35 countries of the region.
The declaration has decided to establish the Asia-Pacific Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APCHUD) as the consultative mechanism on the promotion of suitable development of housing and urban development in the region. All the participating ministers, including Nepal’s Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Singh, have shown commitment to formulate plans and policies in the near future to proceed in accordance with the Delhi Declaration.
Though the Nepal government has been seen very smart in being present and professing its commitment to various international conferences, its role in the implementation side has been objectionable. It is yet to be seen what the minister, who posed for a group photograph with a tilted Dhaka topi , will do in favour of the poor living in the dark alleys of slums and squatters’ area in the Capital, and across the nation.
Kathmandu:
According to legends and lore, the place where Kathmandu stands today was once a holy lake ten-twenty millennia ago.
It is said that a Chinese saint Manjushri came here, cut an outlet in the hills surrounding the lake with his magic sword letting the water drain out leaving a lush, green valley for people to live.
However, today in this same Valley, which was once a huge lake, people are striving for every drop of clean drinking water.
Kathmandu Valley has been reeling under acute water shortage for a decade now. Today it is being slapped with a new water management system. As per the conditions in the contract with the donors of the dream water project Melamchi, a foreign water management company is going to handle the country’s water authority — Nepal Water Supply Corporation, which has been enjoying monopoly — in at least the big cities, where water can make money.
Water activists have termed this move ‘privatisation’ and this does not fail to raise the government’s ire. However, privatisation or not, it is for sure that water will no longer be as cheap as it is now.
Moreover, the poor will have to pay even more in new system.
In this context, a serious question has been raised by the water activists: Will the new management be able to provide drinking water to poor in the Capital?
A gross estimation by Lumanti Support Group for Shelter states that at least 12,000 families in 60 settlements are living in extremely poor conditions.
Regardless of what the government has done or not done for the poor in terms of water distribution, it is now impossible to neglect their voice. It has now been internationally established that water is not a commodity for anyone to merchandise for profit, but a human rights issue: you cannot deny water to the poor because they cannot afford it.
This is the very reason that Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals aims to halve the number of people without access to clear water and sanitation by 2015. Target 11 aims to improve the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Apart from this, it has been made almost mandatory that all big water projects show their concern for the poor, which is reflected, at least on paper, in our context.
“You cannot talk about water if you do not want to talk about the poor people,” says Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor to UN-HABITAT, the United Nation’s Human Settlements Programme.
The access to clean water is not a problem unique to Kathmandu Valley or Nepal. It is a universal problem, but it is one that has crossed all limits in the Asia Pacific region where 61 per cent of the global population and 43 per cent of the world urban population live. The cities are growing rapidly and so is the disparity between the rich and poor city dwellers. Urban poverty is an unavoidable feature of all Asian cities.
In her recent message, Dr Anna K Tibaujuka, under secretary-general of the UN and the executive director of UN-HABITAT said, “Urban poverty is a severe, pervasive and largely unacknowledged feature of modern life.”
She has specially shown interest in improving the water and sanitation situation in Nepal.
The UN-HABITAT is committed to bring new investments of $ 500 million for water and sanitation to the urban poor, and Nepal is going to have $ 2.5 million under its Water for Asian Cities Programme.
A four-day Asia Pacific Ministers Conference held in New Delhi from December 13-16 came up with the historic Delhi Declaration on this issue. The conference was participated by housing ministers from around 35 countries of the region.
The declaration has decided to establish the Asia-Pacific Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APCHUD) as the consultative mechanism on the promotion of suitable development of housing and urban development in the region. All the participating ministers, including Nepal’s Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Singh, have shown commitment to formulate plans and policies in the near future to proceed in accordance with the Delhi Declaration.
Though the Nepal government has been seen very smart in being present and professing its commitment to various international conferences, its role in the implementation side has been objectionable. It is yet to be seen what the minister, who posed for a group photograph with a tilted Dhaka topi , will do in favour of the poor living in the dark alleys of slums and squatters’ area in the Capital, and across the nation.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Villages Near Mt Everst to Light Up Soon
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, December 22[2006]:
Five villages near the Mount Everest will have electric lights in four months. The tourist area is deprived of electricity, which has been a challenge to the conservation of Sagarmatha National Park, one of four World Heritage Sites of the country.
A model micro-hydro power project, being installed at Toktok in Chaurikharkha VDC of Solukhumbu district, will supply electricity to some 100 households in five villages. The project is said to be designed in response to the worldwide debate over development and conservation. A powerhouse is being constructed at Toktok village near Ghatte Khola at a height of 2,700 metres.
"The 70 KW power project is going to be complete by April. We are working on war-footing and we hope it will be complete by the deadline as the peace process has made the job easy these days," Ugan Manandhar, alternative energy officer at WWF Nepal, told this daily today.
WWF-Nepal designed the project to use the source of alternative energy for community-based rural electrification to improve the livelihood of people by bringing about income-generating activities in the long run and correlating it with conservation.
"Unlike the widespread opinion that hydroelectricity deteriorates nature, we are trying to show that micro-hydro project indeed can support nature conservation," he said.
According to him, the locals will use electricity for cooking purposes instead of firewood and thus will help keep the forest and nature in the buffer zone of Sagarmatha National Park intact.
The project will use Ghatte Khola of Solukhumbu as its source stream and it will benefit Phakding, Thulo Gumila, Jhamkutte, Toktok and Nangbote villages. A total of 89 potential subscribers have been traced, including 11 tourist lodges, 34 local bars, two monasteries and households.
WWF-Nepal has provided a grant of Rs 12.94 million, which makes up 90 per cent of the project's total cost. Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone Support Programme will jointly bear seven per cent cost and three per cent will be born by the local users' committees.
The construction of a canal, laying underground cable and powerhouse structure have been completed. Transportation of pipes and poles is going on, pole erection and transmission as well as distribution works are about to be completed. Some electro-mechanical equipments are yet to arrive in Kathmandu, Manandhar said.
He added that the project was going on smoothly, as the local community and the community-based organisations were supporting WWF-Nepal.
"We are trying to develop some income generating activates in the villages which will make the power plant really meaningful," he said.
Kathmandu, December 22[2006]:
Five villages near the Mount Everest will have electric lights in four months. The tourist area is deprived of electricity, which has been a challenge to the conservation of Sagarmatha National Park, one of four World Heritage Sites of the country.
A model micro-hydro power project, being installed at Toktok in Chaurikharkha VDC of Solukhumbu district, will supply electricity to some 100 households in five villages. The project is said to be designed in response to the worldwide debate over development and conservation. A powerhouse is being constructed at Toktok village near Ghatte Khola at a height of 2,700 metres.
"The 70 KW power project is going to be complete by April. We are working on war-footing and we hope it will be complete by the deadline as the peace process has made the job easy these days," Ugan Manandhar, alternative energy officer at WWF Nepal, told this daily today.
WWF-Nepal designed the project to use the source of alternative energy for community-based rural electrification to improve the livelihood of people by bringing about income-generating activities in the long run and correlating it with conservation.
"Unlike the widespread opinion that hydroelectricity deteriorates nature, we are trying to show that micro-hydro project indeed can support nature conservation," he said.
According to him, the locals will use electricity for cooking purposes instead of firewood and thus will help keep the forest and nature in the buffer zone of Sagarmatha National Park intact.
The project will use Ghatte Khola of Solukhumbu as its source stream and it will benefit Phakding, Thulo Gumila, Jhamkutte, Toktok and Nangbote villages. A total of 89 potential subscribers have been traced, including 11 tourist lodges, 34 local bars, two monasteries and households.
WWF-Nepal has provided a grant of Rs 12.94 million, which makes up 90 per cent of the project's total cost. Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone Support Programme will jointly bear seven per cent cost and three per cent will be born by the local users' committees.
The construction of a canal, laying underground cable and powerhouse structure have been completed. Transportation of pipes and poles is going on, pole erection and transmission as well as distribution works are about to be completed. Some electro-mechanical equipments are yet to arrive in Kathmandu, Manandhar said.
He added that the project was going on smoothly, as the local community and the community-based organisations were supporting WWF-Nepal.
"We are trying to develop some income generating activates in the villages which will make the power plant really meaningful," he said.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Delhi declaration announced
Razen Manandhar
New Delhi, December 16[2006]:
A Delhi Declaration was announced at the closing of the four-day Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlement today, with a historic commitment to support the ever-growing number of the urban poor in the region.
The minister of state for housing and urban poverty of India Kumari Selja announced the declaration during the closing ceremony of the conference.
The document, an outcome of the conference of the housing ministers from around 35 countries of the region, among others, has promised to support relief and rehabilitation of shelter and human settlement development in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.
The participating ministers, including the Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha from Nepal, have shown commitment to formulate plans and policies in the near future to proceed in accordance with the Delhi Declaration.
The Asia Pacific Region is emerging as a major contributor to the global urban transition, holding 61 per cent of the global population and 43 per cent of the world urban population.
The Delhi Declaration has decided to establish the Asia-Pacific Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMPCHUD) as the consultative mechanism on the promotion of suitable development of housing and urban development in the region.
India has consented to work as the secretariat for it for the coming two years. The AMPCHUD, as guided by the “Enhanced Framework”, adopted today, will serve as a forum and network to discuss the urban challenge at the continental level as a basis for national, provincial and local level strategies and policies.
Addressing the closing event, Anna Kazumulo Tabaijuka, the undersecretary general of the UN, said: “Whether they live in the capital or a small island, the poor deserve the same security, development and rights as everyone else.”
[ KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 17, 2006, Poush 02, 2063]
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=aNPataiaoanaaal&Name=National&sImageFileName=
New Delhi, December 16[2006]:
A Delhi Declaration was announced at the closing of the four-day Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlement today, with a historic commitment to support the ever-growing number of the urban poor in the region.
The minister of state for housing and urban poverty of India Kumari Selja announced the declaration during the closing ceremony of the conference.
The document, an outcome of the conference of the housing ministers from around 35 countries of the region, among others, has promised to support relief and rehabilitation of shelter and human settlement development in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.
The participating ministers, including the Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha from Nepal, have shown commitment to formulate plans and policies in the near future to proceed in accordance with the Delhi Declaration.
The Asia Pacific Region is emerging as a major contributor to the global urban transition, holding 61 per cent of the global population and 43 per cent of the world urban population.
The Delhi Declaration has decided to establish the Asia-Pacific Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMPCHUD) as the consultative mechanism on the promotion of suitable development of housing and urban development in the region.
India has consented to work as the secretariat for it for the coming two years. The AMPCHUD, as guided by the “Enhanced Framework”, adopted today, will serve as a forum and network to discuss the urban challenge at the continental level as a basis for national, provincial and local level strategies and policies.
Addressing the closing event, Anna Kazumulo Tabaijuka, the undersecretary general of the UN, said: “Whether they live in the capital or a small island, the poor deserve the same security, development and rights as everyone else.”
[ KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 17, 2006, Poush 02, 2063]
http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aNPata0sgqzpa4a6Pa9a9a.axamal&folder
=aNPataiaoanaaal&Name=National&sImageFileName=
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Kalam tells nations to focus on rural development
Razen Manandhar
New Delhi, December 15 :
President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam today urged ministers and experts on housing development from 35 countries to stress on the development of rural areas, if they want to make their countries free from urban poverty.
“If you want to reduce pressure on urban areas bring more support and development in rural areas,” he said. President Kalam was addressing the inaugural session of the first Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlements today. Minister of state for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation of India Kumari Selja said that the countries must accept “inclusion” of the poor as part of core policy in all urban programmes. She said that the secretarial meeting held during the last two days has focused on four major themes — pro-poor urban governance and planning, slum upgrading, delivery of Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation and financing sustainable urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific.
Anna Kajumlo Tibaijuka, the under-general -secretary of UN and executive director of the UN-HABITAT assured that the new UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is ready to offer the Asia-Pacific region all support in the field of water and sanitation.
“We are now at a significant turning point in history. The year 2007 will be the year in which for the first time, half of human population will be living in towns and cities. It makes the beginning of a new urban area,” she said.
MoU signed
NEW DELHI: A memorandum of understanding between the government of Nepal and UN-HABITAT was signed on Friday. Kishore Thapa, the director general of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, and Dr Anna Kajunmulo Tibaijuka, the under-secretary-general of UN and executive director of UN-HABITAT, signed the document, which will provide a grant of $2.5 million till the end of 2010. The money will be spent on development of infrastructure. Also present were Minister of Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha and the advisor to UN-HABITAT Nepal Office Dr Ros-han Raj Shrestha. — HNS
New Delhi, December 15 :
President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam today urged ministers and experts on housing development from 35 countries to stress on the development of rural areas, if they want to make their countries free from urban poverty.
“If you want to reduce pressure on urban areas bring more support and development in rural areas,” he said. President Kalam was addressing the inaugural session of the first Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlements today. Minister of state for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation of India Kumari Selja said that the countries must accept “inclusion” of the poor as part of core policy in all urban programmes. She said that the secretarial meeting held during the last two days has focused on four major themes — pro-poor urban governance and planning, slum upgrading, delivery of Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation and financing sustainable urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific.
Anna Kajumlo Tibaijuka, the under-general -secretary of UN and executive director of the UN-HABITAT assured that the new UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is ready to offer the Asia-Pacific region all support in the field of water and sanitation.
“We are now at a significant turning point in history. The year 2007 will be the year in which for the first time, half of human population will be living in towns and cities. It makes the beginning of a new urban area,” she said.
MoU signed
NEW DELHI: A memorandum of understanding between the government of Nepal and UN-HABITAT was signed on Friday. Kishore Thapa, the director general of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, and Dr Anna Kajunmulo Tibaijuka, the under-secretary-general of UN and executive director of UN-HABITAT, signed the document, which will provide a grant of $2.5 million till the end of 2010. The money will be spent on development of infrastructure. Also present were Minister of Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha and the advisor to UN-HABITAT Nepal Office Dr Ros-han Raj Shrestha. — HNS
Friday, December 15, 2006
UN-HABITAT to grant $2.5m annually until 2010
Razen Manandhar
New Delhi, December 14[2006]:
UN-HABITAT is going to support Nepal annually with Rs 185 million ($2.5 million) till 2010 to upgrade water and sanitation sectors here.
Kishore Thapa, director general of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, said a Memorandum of Understanding is being signed between the UN-HABITAT and the Nepal government tomorrow during the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlement. Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha is in New Delhi to participate in the conference that will conclude on December 16.
The MoU provides a framework for cooperation between UN-HABITAT and the government of Nepal under the Water for Asian Cities Programme for providing support in the capacity building and sanitation components of the programme. This will thus support ADB-assisted projects, including Kathmandu Valley Water Services Sector Development Programme, Melamchi Water Supply Project, Urban and Environment Improvement Project, Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation, and Integrated Urban Development Programme.
Thapa said the government has not yet decided where the money will be spent. “I believe it will be used for the improvement of water and sanitation in general,” he added.
Housing ministers from 35 countries are here to participate in the conference and to show political commitment to enhance water and sanitation situations in their countries. The conference is being inaugurated by Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam tomorrow.
Talking to this daily, Roman Rollink, spokesperson for the UN-HABITAT, said a grant of $300 million is being allocated to the developing Asian countries so that they can develop a mechanism to fight against urban poverty.
The conference will form a regional body to facilitate the governments in regulating or managing the crisis of urban poverty. “The conference will adopt a New Delhi Declaration with recommendations and resolutions,” he said.
[KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 15, 2006, Mangsir 29, 2063 ]
New Delhi, December 14[2006]:
UN-HABITAT is going to support Nepal annually with Rs 185 million ($2.5 million) till 2010 to upgrade water and sanitation sectors here.
Kishore Thapa, director general of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, said a Memorandum of Understanding is being signed between the UN-HABITAT and the Nepal government tomorrow during the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Human Settlement. Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha is in New Delhi to participate in the conference that will conclude on December 16.
The MoU provides a framework for cooperation between UN-HABITAT and the government of Nepal under the Water for Asian Cities Programme for providing support in the capacity building and sanitation components of the programme. This will thus support ADB-assisted projects, including Kathmandu Valley Water Services Sector Development Programme, Melamchi Water Supply Project, Urban and Environment Improvement Project, Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation, and Integrated Urban Development Programme.
Thapa said the government has not yet decided where the money will be spent. “I believe it will be used for the improvement of water and sanitation in general,” he added.
Housing ministers from 35 countries are here to participate in the conference and to show political commitment to enhance water and sanitation situations in their countries. The conference is being inaugurated by Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam tomorrow.
Talking to this daily, Roman Rollink, spokesperson for the UN-HABITAT, said a grant of $300 million is being allocated to the developing Asian countries so that they can develop a mechanism to fight against urban poverty.
The conference will form a regional body to facilitate the governments in regulating or managing the crisis of urban poverty. “The conference will adopt a New Delhi Declaration with recommendations and resolutions,” he said.
[KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 15, 2006, Mangsir 29, 2063 ]
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