Nepal

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Group_picture_Aguasan_2017

The 33rd AGUASAN Workshop on the topic “Circular economy – transforming waste into resources” took place in Spiez, Switzerland from June 26 to 30, 2017. The main focus was analyzing successful and failed approaches for transitioning from linear to circular water and sanitation models.

Circular economy has great potential to drive the Water and Sanitation 2030 Agenda forward because it aligns directly with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.3 of improving water quality and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally and SDG 6.4 of substantially increasing water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensuring sustainable withdrawals.

 

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Fig. 1: Graph Circular Economy
 

 

The Swiss Water and Sanitation Consortium was present with five representatives from four different organizations: Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Swiss Red Cross, Caritas Switzerland and Terre des hommes. The following contributions were made:

  • The Swiss Red Cross presented a poster on menstrual hygiene management in Nepal (poster will follow)
  • Caritas Switzerland presented a poster on Blue Schools in Bangladesh: a promising way to teach reduce, reuse and recycle: Poster_Blue_Schools_Aguasan_Workshop_Caritas_Bangladesh_2017
  • Terre des hommes and Caritas jointly facilitated a clinical case on Blue School 2.0. During several group working sessions, a solution was developed on how to transition from a linear Blue School to a circular Blue School and how to teach circular economy through a learning-by-doing approach in school.  The results of the discussions were presented as flip charts/ diagrams, as shown below:Circular Flows Blue SchoolsFig 2. Circular Flows in a Blue School

Circular Business Model Blue SchoolsFig 3. Circular business model for Blue Schools

Success Criteria Blue SchoolsFig 4. Success criteria for Blue Schools

Links:

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The third regional workshop in Asia took place from 14 to 17 November 2016 in Bardiya, Nepal. Once more, the regional workshop has provided an inspiring platform of exchange for the regional teams across Nepal and Bangladesh. The teams presented their good practices and lessons learned drawn from Consortium projects in the form of innovative videos and posters, which created an enthusiastic atmosphere of mutual learning and collaboration. The workshop has also been successful at clarifying specific technical issues related to water quality, handwashing and functionality of public latrines. For example, to improve water quality at point of use, the participants came to the following conclusion: The projects need to:

  • follow the Water Safety Plan concept
  • ensure the use of household water treatment systems such as filters
  • induce behavior change at household level and provide private taps.

Furthermore, the teams could benefit from expert advice given by Olivier Magnin (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Global Program Water) and Manohara Khadka (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation country office Nepal), who participated at the whole workshop, and Ursula Schmid (Program Coordinator Nepal, Consortium Focal Point Swiss Red Cross), who attended the workshop during 3 days. An input on SDGs and Integrated Water Resource Management from an invited external expert of the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition in Nepal was very much appreciated by the participants and ended in enriching discussions among the participants.

On the third day, the teams visited the Joint Emerging Town Project, which aims at improving access to water and environmental sanitation in the town of Katarniya in Nepal’s Bardiya district. For planning purposes, joint action plans were developed for the year 2017 at intra- and inter-country levels. To conclude, the teams evaluated advantages and disadvantages of working as a Consortium in the Asia Region which will be evaluated in an internal review of the Consortium.

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Solar_lifting_rural_drinking_water_supply_system_2_Helvetas_Nepal_2016

In Nepal, different medias have covered news on the solar lifting drinking water supply system, which was implemented by a Consortium project in villages of the Dailekh District. Their main massage is that villagers are happy benefiting from the new technology getting water nearby their houses.

The report broadcasted on Nepal Television (link) and the articles in the national daily newspaper Naya Patrika and the Kekrebihar daily newspaper of Surkhet district point out, that prior to the installation of this system, villagers had to walk long distances every day in order to fetch water. “The solar lift system made it possible to pump water up to the hill and provides water nearby the village, something I had never imagined”, the villager Top Bahadur Thapa explains. Mr. Mohan Bhatta, technical Coordinator of the project, says that the solar lift can pump water up to 90m height and 17 taps are to be installed for distribution. He adds, that ponds are constructed above the sources in order to ensure enough water discharge. The community has established an operation and maintenance fund, which ensures the long run of the system. According to the team Leader of the project, Madan Raj Bhatta, the Water Use Master Plan (WUMP) - instrument for local actors to address water management issues - has helped in identifying places, where the real need of such technology to serve the community is. The water supply system is presented as an example for development with a new technology, from which the community can benefit from.

More information: Solar lifting drinking water supply system