Govt to build 810 toilets for girls by December

girls toilet block nepal

 KATHMANDU, Oct 22: In a bid to reduce high drop-out rate among girls, the government is building separate toilets for girl students in 18 districts by this year´s end. 

 As part of an agreement with the Department of International Development UK (DFID), the Department of Education (DoE) is building 810 toilets -- 45 in each district -- with the  aim of achieving the target by December. 

 DoE Director General Lav Dev Awasthi said toilet construction has already begun in many districts. "Local stakeholders would have to bear around 25 percent of the cost," said  he. 

Sanitation Key Facts (Global Perspective)

Key facts

  • nepal-abdphoto-281In 2012, 64% of the world’s population had access to improved sanitation facilities including flush toilets and covered latrines, compared with 49% in 1990.
  • 2.5 billion people still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines.
  • Of these, 1 billion defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water.
  • At least 10% of the world’s population is thought to consume food irrigated by wastewater.
  • Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.
  • Inadequate sanitation is a major factor in several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Poor sanitation also contributes to malnutrition.

Introduction.

Hygienic sanitation facilities are crucial for public health. Since 1990, the number of people gaining access to improved sanitation has risen from 49% to 64% but some 2.5 billion people still do not have toilets or covered latrines.