Selection of news for SN made on the 12



Selection of news for SN_69 made on the 7.11.08

Informations générales (max 3)

- Monitoring: UK and Netherlands allocate €6 million, UN-Water presents

pilot report

- Hygiene: millions of children take part in Global Handwashing Day

Afrique Sub-Saharienne (max 3)

- Ghana: Plan Ghana Assists Five Communities With Toilet Facilities

- Mozambique: singing a song of sanitation and hoping to change habits

Autres régions (max 2)

- Bangladesh: new economical method of testing for toxins in drinking

water

- Bhutan: rural water supply schemes falling into disrepair

Leçons d'expériences (max 3)

- Project performance: lessons from the Asian Development Bank

- Privatisation revisited: lessons from private sector participation in water supply and sanitation

Technologies à suivre (max 3)

- Support in stressed environments: transportable infrastructures for development and emergency support

- Handwashing: the Tippy Tap - simple and safe

Funding opportunities (max 1)

- UK/Netherlands: joint water and sanitation initiative to help millions

in Africa and Asia

Publications récentes (max 2)

- Compendium of sanitation systems and technologies

- Guide to advocacy for integrity in the water sector

Nouvelles vagues Web (1).

- Sanimap: World Sanitation Project Map

Acteurs du secteur (1)

- Douglas and Zeta Jones accept US$1.9 million donation for children's water and sanitation projects

Evénements et conférences

SLIPPAGE OF WASH SERVICES: Causes, Costs and How to Counter

____________________

Informations générales

MONITORING: UK and Netherlands allocate €6 million, UN-Water presents

pilot report

A new joint initiative from the UK and the Netherlands will allocate €6 million (US$ 8.5 million) over five years to an annual report and high level meeting focused on reviewing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation.

The first of these meetings will be held in 2009 and convened by UNICEF. The initiative was launched on 24 September 2008 at the United Nations High-level Event on the

Millennium Development Goals [] in New York. A

further joint Dutch-UK commitment was made of €100 million (US$ 141 million) over the same period to help up to 20 countries develop and implement national water and sanitation plans.

At the same time, the UN-Water launched the Global Annual Assessment of

Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) [1]. GLAAS is a UN-Water pilot

initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which provides a new

approach to reporting on progress in the sanitation and drinking-water

sectors. It concentrates on the factors affecting the capacity of countries

and external support agencies to progress towards the sanitation and

drinking-water MDG target.

[1] WHO and UN-Water (2008). UN-Water global annual assessment of

sanitation and drinking-water : 2008 pilot report - testing a new reporting

approach. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. 58 p. ISBN

978-92-4-159716-6. Download here []

Related web sites: UN-Water [] ; Water

Monitoring Alliance []

Related news: Monitoring: staggering number of people without improved

sanitation facilities, says new report, Source Weekly

[], 24 Jul 2008

Contact: DFID, mailto:enquiry@.uk ; Dutch Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, contact form []

Source: DFID [], 25 Sep 2008 ; Dutch Ministry of

Foreign Affairs [], 25 Sep 2008

--------------------

HYGIENE: millions of children take part in Global Handwashing Day

Millions of children and adults from over 70 countries took part in the

first Global Handwashing Day on 15 October 2008. The aim of the initiative

was to show how washing the hands with soap can effectively prevent disease.

Global Handwashing Day is an initiative of the Global Public-Private

Partnership for Handwashing, which is supported by World Bank's Water and

Sanitation Program (WSP), UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), USAID and soap manufacturers Unilever and Procter & Gamble.

In many countries the focus of the campaign has been in schools and through

the media. In India, top cricket star Sachin Tendulkar [1] was recruited to

front the campaign. Washing hands was the topic of Afghan television and

radio talk shows and Pakistani newscasts. In Nepal and South Africa

thousands of people received text messages reminding them to use soap. Over

65,000 students in Malawi participated in handwashing activities promoted

by the animated character known as ‘SOPO’. The King of Cambodia and the

President of Madagascar supported the event, which saw schoolchildren in

every classroom in their respective countries wash their hands with soap.

In Colombia, about 7,000 children gathered in a football stadium to

celebrate the day with several government leaders.

UNICEF says that washing hands with soap is much more effective in

combating disease than just using water. It can reduce the risk of

diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% and of respiratory infections by 30%.

[1] Watch promotional video clips featuring Sachin Tendulkar and others

here [].

Related news:

* Infant mortality: handwashing can save newborn lives, Source South Asia

[], 18 Sep 2008;

* Hygiene: handwashing reduces diarrhoea by 30 per cent, Source

[], 18 Jul 2008.

Web sites: Global Handwashing Day [] ; Global

Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing []

Source: BBC [], 15 Oct 2008; UNICEF

[], 14 Oct 2008

Afrique Sub-Saharienne

Ghana: Plan Ghana Assists Five Communities With Toilet Facilities

In Bawjiase in the Central Region, Plan Ghana, is assisting five communities to construct improved household pit latrines. A total of twenty-seven toilets that have so far been completed, were inaugurated at Obo Yambo and Aboano, two of the beneficiary communities. The facilities were built with local materials under the supervision of the Professional Network Association (ProNet), an NGO based in Accra. Labour services were provided by the community. The project, the first in the area, is a six-month pilot project.

Read more about Plan International’s water and sanitation activities here.

Read more about water and sanitation in Ghana here:



Source:

----------------------------

Mozambique: Singing a Song of Sanitation and Hoping to Change Habits

FELICIANO DOS SANTOS is one of southern Africa’s leading musicians, and while he sings beautifully about the usual things he is better known in the highland villages near here for catchy lyrics of a more peculiar sort, songs about going to the bathroom and washing your hands when you are done. In one fetching tune, sung in the tribal language of Nyanja, he exhorts people to boil water “so we can prevent diarrheal diseases.” In another, this one a pulsating rumba, he declares that “sanitation can change your life”.

Though his band, Massukos [] has toured in Europe and appeared before crowds in the thousands, he spends most of his time running a small charity called Estamos (”We are”) in his native Niassa, an isolated backwater near the Tanzanian border and among the poorest of Mozambique’s 11 provinces. The organization’s main goals are clean water and safe sanitation. [...] Estamos has more than 30 employees and an annual budget of nearly $1 million.[...] In April [2008], Mr. dos Santos was one of seven grass-roots activists to win a $150,000 Goldman Environmental Prize [], awards given annually in San Francisco. He already has spent some of the cash on latrines.

See also : PBS web page “Mozambique: Guitar Hero” page which includes a music and a documentary video on Feliciano dos Santos.

Source: Barry Bearak, New York Times [], 24 Oct 2008

Other regions

BANGLADESH: new economical method of testing for toxins in drinking water

After many years of studying toxins in drinking water in Bangladesh, a

group of volunteer researchers has come up with a cost-effective strategy

to ensure that the water is safe to drink.

Drinking water in Bangladesh is notoriously contaminated with a variety of

toxic contaminants, the most prevalent of which is arsenic. Consequently,

most tests for contamination focus on the arsenic content. The scientists

discovered that, of tubewells with safe levels of arsenic, 87% had

dangerous levels of manganese and 64% had unsafe levels of uranium. 96% of

the wells tested by the team had unsafe levels of these or other toxins.

Dr Bibudhendra (Amu) Sarkar of the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids),

who leads the team of researchers, said that over 60 million people were

drinking unsafe water.

Most household water treatment systems are designed to remove arsenic but

not other toxins. The team has devised a three-stage strategy for testing

water quality, which is economical because it stops the testing once a

sample is found to be unsafe:

step 1: all tubewells must be sampled and tested for arsenic;

step 2: if a sample meets the guidelines for arsenic, then it should be

retested for manganese and uranium

step 3: if a sample meets the guidelines for all three, then it should be

retested for other toxins.

The team's findings have been published online in:

Frisbie, S.H. … [et al.]. (2008). Public health strategies for western

Bangladesh that address the arsenic, manganese, uranium and other toxic

elements in their drinking water. Environmental health perspectives.

[Online 7 October 2008]. doi:10.1289/ehp.11886

[]

Related news:

* Bangladesh: renewed concerns about arsenic contamination, Source South

Asia [], 02 Oct 2008;

* Arsenic: predicting groundwater arsenic contamination from surface

parameters, Source South Asia [], 25 Sep

2008;

* Groundwater pollution: sanitary inspection of tubewells in Bangladesh

unreliable, Source South Asia [], 19 Sep 2008

Web site: Environmental Health Perspectives []

(for abstract and full text of the article)

Contact: Bibidhendra Sarkar, Dept. of Molecular Structure and Function, The

Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of

Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada, mailto:bsarkar@sickkids.ca

Source: CNW [], 07 Oct 2008

--------------------

BHUTAN: rural water supply schemes falling into disrepair

A survey by Bhutan's health ministry shows that up to 65% of the country's

rural water supply schemes are in need of repair. A little over 12% are not

functioning at all, presenting a risk of contamination.

The survey appears to contradict the government of Bhutan's claim that it

has achieved 89% coverage for safe drinking water supplies across the

country. Ugyen Dophu of the health ministry said that where schemes were

non-functional (12%) or low functional (19%), people were probably using

alternative sources of water, which could be contaminated.

Dophu added that the schemes have fallen into disrepair because there have

been no dedicated water engineers in the dzongkhags (districts) for several

years. In 2003, when engineers were still in place, the schemes were all

operating or being constructed on schedule.

Although the government increased the budget for water and sanitation in

2008, the health ministry says that it has fewer funds for water supply and

sanitation than for advertising.

Related news:

* Bhutan: traditional water-sharing system 'feudal and unfair', Source

South Asia [], 20 Aug 2008;

* Bhutan: International Sanitation Day observed, Source South Asia

[], 18 Jul 2008

Contact: Dr. Ugen Dophu, Director, Dept. of Public Health, Ministry of

Public Health [], Bhutan,

mailto:drugendophu@.bt

Source: Kuensel online [], 4 Oct 2008

LESSONS LEARNED

PROJECT PERFORMANCE: lessons from the Asian Development Bank

A recent study [1] by the Asian Development Bank has revealed that, despite

a steady rise in the number of projects being rated successful or better in

recent years, around 30% of the ADB's projects are still evaluated as less

than successful. This has led to a number of lessons to be learned.

To gain a better understanding of why this happens, a business practice

study was undertaken to examine project performance in the project cycle.

The analysis identified 17 common factors that had a detrimental impact on

the success of a project. The most frequently occurring factors were

deficient capacity-building and ownership measures during the project

design, insufficient supervision by the ADB during the implementation

stage, less than rigorous internal reviews, inadequate technical analysis

and inappropriate project design.

Three main lessons were learned from the study:

* project team leaders are overloaded: the study recommended addressing

this problem by improving burden-sharing in the teams.

* insufficient budgetary support: this required a review of funding

requirements.

* insufficient project supervision: project supervision should be reviewed

and allocated more resources.

[1] Breckner, E., Prakash, B. and Leonard, R.K. (2008). Project performance

and the project cycle. (Evaluation study / ADB). Manila, The Philippines,

Operations Evaluation Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB). vii, 64 p.

Download full report and Learning Curves summary here

[].

--------------------

PRIVATISATION REVISITED: lessons from private sector participation in water

supply and sanitation

A study [1] by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) shows that private sector

participation (PSP) has not shown encouraging results in the water supply

and sanitation sector. In particular, private resources have not been

adequately mobilised to solve problems in the sector, as anticipated by the

proponents of PSP. PSP has tended to succeed in environments where there is

effective regulation, good governance and contract enforcement. Effective

demand for improved services and innovative approaches to competition have

also played an important role. Experience shows that public water utilities

can work well when anchored to reforms ensuring internal and external

accountability, customer orientation and autonomy. While ownership itself

hardly influences the efficient provision of services, the interdependence

of public and private players should not be overlooked; a reasonably

well-functioning public sector is a precondition for the success of private

water supply and sanitation services.

[1] Gunatilake, H. and Carangal-San Jose, M.J.F. (2008). Privatization

revisited : lessons from private sector participation in water supply and

sanitation in developing countries, ERD Working Paper, no. 115. Manila, the

Philippines, Asian Development Bank, 49 p. Download here

[]

Related publication:

Manahan, M.A.; Yamamoto, N and Hoedeman, O. (2007). Water democracy:

reclaiming public water in Asia. Bangkok, Thailand, Focus on the Global

South and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Transnational Institute. More

information []

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Support in stressed environments: transportable infrastructures for

development and emergency support

The TIDES (Transportable Infrastructures for Development and Emergency

Support) project aims to encourage information sharing and develop

communities of interest in stressed environments. TIDES is part of the STAR

(Sustainable Technologies, Accelerated Research) international research

programme, which promotes affordable, sustainable support to stressed

populations in post-disaster or post-war situations.

STAR-TIDES focuses on seven infrastructures, including water and

sanitation. In the water sector it is focusing on the following

technologies:

• Q-Drum, a low-cost rollable water container

• Aquatabs water purification tablets

• Water purifying products OneDrop and Bacsan

As yet, there are no technologies listed in the sanitation sector. The project is currently planning activities in the following four areas:

• Sub-Saharan Africa (household-level in hot, dry areas)

• Central America (camp-level in wet tropical areas)

• Afghanistan

• USA

In Afghanistan, the emphasis is on current activities in Nangarhar Province, information sharing, and links to the Visualisaton Laboratory at San Diego State University and the FabLab in Jalalabad.

Web site: []

--------------------

HANDWASHING: the Tippy Tap - simple and safe

The Tippy Tap is a simple and hygienic device for handwashing, which is very easy to set up and use. It is essentially a suspended jerry can which can be tipped over by pulling a rope. In this way, there is no need to touch the can with dirty hands, making it hygienic to use. The Tippy Tap has existed in various forms for a number of years[1] but has recently been revived in a more modern design by the Working Group on Development

Techniques (WOT) at the University of Twente in the Netherlands [2].

The 'new' Tippy Tap consists of a five-litre container hanging on a

horizontal stick. There is a rope through the cap, which is attached to a

stick on the ground. When the stick is pushed down with the foot, the

container tips and water runs out. A piece of soap hangs on a rope next to

the container, allowing the hands to be washed thoroughly.

[1] For earlier versions of the Tippy Tap, see:

- Dialogue on Diarrhoea [] (no, 54 Sep-Nov

1993),

- the Tippy Tap II [] (Lifewater 2005) and

- Canacla (see Handwashing: new water-saving technology introduced in

Rwanda, Source Weekly [], 28 Nov 2007; the

web site referred to in this article is, however, no longer available).

[2] Westra, M.T. and Holtslag, H. (2008). How to make a tippy tap : a

hygienic hand washing device with running water. Enschede, The Netherlands,

Werkgroep OntwikkelingsTechnieken, University of Twente and Leiden, The

Netherlands, Connect International. 7 p. Download here

[].

FUNDING

UK/NETHERLANDS: joint water and sanitation initiative to help millions in

Africa and Asia

A joint UK/Netherlands initiative to provide millions of people in Africa

and Asia with safe drinking water and good sanitation was launched in New

York on 24 September 2008 at the UN High-Level Event on the Millennium

Development Goals.

Under the initiative, £85 million (€100 million) will be spent on

helping 20 poor countries to draft and implement their own water and

sanitation plans. A further £5 million (€6 million) will be allocated to

an annual report and meeting to monitor progress. The first meeting will be

convened by UNICEF in 2009.

A number of other commitments were made at the 'One World, One Dream:

Sanitation and Water for All' event at the high-level meeting, including an

undertaking by the Netherlands to provide access to safe drinking water and

sanitation for at least 50 million people by 2015. The Netherlands has

already signed agreements that will benefit almost 30 million people, at a

cost of around € 1.3 billion.

In total around US$ 16 billion (€ 11.7 billion) in new commitments were

unveiled at the UN High-Level Event, including some US$ 1.6 billion (€

1.2 billion) to bolster food security, more than US$ 4.5 billion (€ 3.3

billion) for education and US$ 3 billion (€ 2.2 billion) to combat

malaria.

Related news: Monitoring: UK and Netherlands allocate €6 million,

UN-Water presents pilot report. Source Weekly

[], 02 Oct 2008

Source: DFID [], 25 Sep 2008; Dutch Ministry of

Foreign Affairs [], 25 Sep 2008 ; UN High-level

Event on the Millennium Development Goals: Committing to action: achieving

the Millennium Development Goals: Compilation of Partnership Events and

Commitments [], 25 Sep 2008 ; UN

[], 25 Sep 2008

Publications

COMPENDIUM OF SANITATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Year of publication: 2008

Tilley E. … [et al.] (2008). Compendium of sanitation systems and

technologies. Dübendorf, Switzerland, Eawag/Sandec and Geneva,

Switzerland, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). 158

p : ill. Includes references and glossary.

ISBN: 978-3-906484-44-0

This compendium helps identify and evaluate sanitation options in the

context of the Household Centered Environmental Sanitation (HCES) planning

approach. It is aimed at engineers, planners and other professionals who

are familiar with sanitation technologies and processes.

The compendium is divided into two parts. Part 1 describes different system

configurations for a variety of contexts. Part 2 consists of 52 different

Technology Information Sheets, which describe the main advantages,

disadvantages, applications and the appropriateness of the technologies

required to build a comprehensive sanitation system. Each Technology

Information Sheet is complemented by a descriptive illustration.

Download: high resolution version [] [5.4 MB];

low resolution version [][4.0 MB]

Price: US$ 30 (hard copy version)

See also: New compendium supports environmental sanitation, Source Bulletin

[], Aug 2008

--------------------

GUIDE TO ADVOCACY FOR INTEGRITY IN THE WATER SECTOR

Year of publication: 2008

Water Integrity Network (2008). Guide to advocacy for integrity in the water sector. Berlin, Germany, Water Integrity Network (WIN).

This advocacy guide, published by the Water Integrity Network (WIN), offers

practical tips for advocacy to curb corruption in the sector. It consists of a series of articles based on the project cycle of an advocacy plan.

Contents:

• Introduction the WIN advocacy guide

• Advocating for integrity in the water sector

• Forming coalitions

• How to start anti-corruption advocacy

• International agreements

• Linking to other anti-corruption work

• Water sector risk mapping

• Glossary

Access the advocacy guide here []

NEW ON THE NET

SANIMAP: World Sanitation Project Map

At the World Water Week in Stockholm in August, the Japan Water Forum and

the Water Web Alliance launched the World Sanitation Project Map, Sanimap,

which is part of the Water Web Project on Google Map / Earth, is a new type

of communication tool for tackling water problems.

Sanimap can connect water-related projects or activities around the world

with donors who wish to provide financial or technical support. It will

match donors and projects using three types of information:

* Sanitation NOW - Up-to-date information on sanitation around the world;

* Sanitation projects - Information on the progress and results of

sanitation and hygiene projects;

* Organisations - Information on organisations working in the water and

sanitation sector.

Contact: Noriko Yamaguchi or Shigenori Asai, Japan Water Forum,

mailto:sanimap@waterforum.ip

Web site: []

_______________

Names

Douglas and Zeta Jones accept us$1.9 million donation for children's water and sanitation projects

Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones accepted a

donation for DH 7 million (US$ 1.9 million = € 1.4 million) in Dubai on 6

October 2008 on behalf of the charity Free the Children (FTC). The money is to be used to help provide clean water for underprivileged children in Sri Lanka and Kenya.

Free the Children was set up in 1995 by child rights activist Craig Kielberge and a group of friends when they were only 12 years old. Since then it has built over 500 schools around the world.

The donation, by Dubai-based developer Nakheel, will be used to in a variety of FTC projects to make clean water more accessible to an estimated 200,000 people in Sri Lanka and Kenya. According to the UN, 5,000 children die everyday from diarrhoea caused by water-borne infections.

'This is not fair for any child,' said Douglas, on accepting the donation.

'Together, we can stop water-borne diseases in their tracks.'

Related news:

* Sri Lanka: schoolchildren learn the value of safe water and good sanitation, Source South Asia [], 02 Sep 2008;

* Development goals: targeting the poor and coordination save children’s

lives, Source [], 19 Nov 2007

Web sites: Free the Children []; Nakheel

[]

Sources: Faisal Masudi, Xpress [], 06 Oct 2008;

Nakheel [], 06 Oct 2008; Gulfnews

[], 06 Oct 2008

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

SLIPPAGE OF WASH SERVICES: Causes, Costs and How to Counter

Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, India,

First week of March 2009

Organised by: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and WASHCost

"Currently, 95% of the villages [in India] have clean drinking water.

But large number of villages often slip back and there are numerous

villages with serious water quality problems.” (Prof. Kirit S. Parikh,

member of Planning Commission of the Government of India, Oct 2007)

Workshop objectives:

* to quantify the scale and extent of the challenge of “slippage of WASH

services” [1] and to increase the understanding of the main causes

* disseminating the results of the research and workshop, and scaling-up

of good practices related to the WASH slippage challenge.

The workshop will build upon the experiences in implementation and research

programmes of both government and non-governmental organisations.

Topics:

* scale and extent of slippage;

* costs of slippage or of certain aspects thereof;

* impact of slippage on the MDGs;

* definition and use of numbers in monitoring sustainability;

* practical methods on addressing slippage.

[1] Indian definition of slippage: the occurrence of WASH service delivery

systems that worked (according to government norms) at a certain moment in

time and which have fallen back to a lower level of service delivery.

The maximum number of participants is 40.

Deadline for abstracts: 01 December 2008

Contact: mailto:slippage-workshop-2009@

First announcement and call for abstracts,

- Location:

Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, India

- Date: First week of March 2009

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