By: Hari Sharma

Parasi: Residents of southern Nawalparasi are engaged in constructing toilets in their houses. Earlier, the villagers used to defecate in the open due to lack of awareness on health and sanitation. The villagers have started to construct toilets after the Disaster Management Centre Butwal launched Drinking Water, Toilet and Health Promotion programme in 10 VDCs of the district including Rampurwa, Rampurkhadauna, Bhujhawa, Pratappur, Thulokhairtawa, Trivenisusta, Narayani, Prasauni and Kolhuwa.

The centre has provided rings and bricks to some VDCs to encourage the locals to construct toilets. However, the locals, who did not get support materials, have also started to construct temporary toilets. Homnath Joshi, programme coordinator at the centre told that the centre has launched public awareness programmes and mobilized volunteers in all the wards of the 10 VDCs to encourage the villagers to construct toilet.
Dalits and underprivileged groups, who can not afford to construct toilets, have demanded the government and non-government organizations to provide financial support for constructing toilet. Tara Jaiswal, a volunteer, informed that sixty households in Rampurwa have already constructed toilets. Another volunteer Bhagwati Adhikari told that the students have been pressurizing their parents to construct toilet in their homes after toilet construction and hand washing programme in the schools.

Source: Annapurna Post, November 5, 2009