Behavioral change in sanitation practices
will lead to lasting social development
"One of the biggest challenges before us is to bring about sustained behavioral change in the mindset of people towards sanitation. It is important that the man on the street understands that a clean environment will lead to a much healthier individual and society," said Mr Amit Mehrotra, UNICEF water, environment and sanitation (WES) specialist. Mr Mehrotra was addressing the media at the bi-monthly Media for Children, jointly organized by Media Nest and UNICEF at UP Press Club in Lucknow. Listing the challenges in Uttar Pradesh's rural sanitation programme Mr Mehrotra said that the biggest challenge is to ensure quality construction of proper toilets in the rural areas followed by proper maintenance system. "Study done by UNICEF has shown that 72 per cent toilets constructed in the villages are below standards. As a rule there should be one train mason for construction of these toilets but fact is that there are a total of just 16 per cent trained masons in UP villages, this is grossly inadequate" he said. Improper constructed toilets stink, fail to function and are generally abandoned, serving as garbage dumps. Dwelling on the great need for promoting personal hygiene Mr. Mehrotra said that just the simple act of washing one’s hand after going to the toilet will lead to a healthier individual. "Hand-washing with soap after defecation will reduce diarrhea deaths of children by 40 per cent," he said. This shows how important it is to train children in adopting healthier sanitation practices. "One gram human excreta carries 100,000,000 viruses, so you can imagine the virus which abound in our society where 65 per cent people are defecating in the open," said Mr Mehrotra. "Construction of toilets may not be a rocket science but it is a science never the less and it must be respected and practiced by using only trained masons for making the toilets defect- proof," he said. Mr YD Mathur, advisor Sulabh International, national expert on sanitation who was the second resource person for the programme said that there are three points that will take the sanitation programme further, especially in the rural areas. "Quality control of the construction of toilets by trained masons, use of pour flush instead of tank fill system and last but not the least sanitation motivators are the basics of a sound sanitation system," said Mr Mathura as he addressed the media persons. He said sanitation motivators can play a very vital role as centuries of behavioral pattern cannot be changed overnight. Taking off from this point Mr Mehrotra said that since the past few months ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) are being trained by UNICEF to work as motivators. He said in Lalitpur over 700 ASHAs have taken on this additional responsibility of motivators. Mr Mehrotra said soon the other districts of the state will also be trained. The resource persons urged media to do its bit in carrying forward the great need for hygiene in our life. This will mean less people falling sick.
Ms Kulsum Talha, secretary general, Media Nest, while thanking the experts said that a vast and important topic like sanitation can not be explained in just an hour but she said that these experts can be contacted for more details for writing in-depth stories. "Media Nest is an organization which is by the journalists, for the journalist and of the journalists and these sessions are aimed at sensitizing journalists on development issues."
Kulsum Mustafa
(The author is a senior journalist and Secretary-General of Media Nest)
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Punjab Newsline Network, Punjab, India
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Showing posts with label Water Tribunal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water Tribunal. Show all posts
The Istanbul Water Tribunal
The Istanbul Water Tribunal
Istanbul Water Tribunal was convened on 11 and 12 March 2009 where five cases related to bodies of water and hydrological systems were heard - and the Tribunal's verdict announced on 14 March 2009, a couple of days before the 5th World Water Forum is scheduled to open in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Water Tribunal is an international, independent and autonomous body for environmental justice, created for the purpose of helping resolve conflicts related to bodies of water and hydrological systems. It is based on coexistence principles, respect for human dignity, solidarity between peoples, sanctity of all life forms, and environmental responsibility.
The Tribunal seeks to bring back consciousness to people so they can form opinions on the handling and protection of water, as well as fomenting a vigilant attitude on the projects that can affect these valuable systems.
The Tribunal (created in 1998), held a meeting for the first time in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2000, to analyze eleven cases of threats to the hydrics systems in Central America.
A second Central American hearing was conducted, also in the city of San Jose, from March 15 to 19, 2004, with the purpose of settling nine causes on the infringement to the hydrological systems and the environmental rights of the communities in the region.
As a result of those experiences, the Tribunal met again, from March 13 to 20, 2006, in Mexico City, to settle 13 causes on infringement to the hydrological systems and environmental rights in Latin American countries, affected by far-reaching hydroelectric projects, like the La Parota, in Mexico; by cases of industrial and mining contamination; and by privatization of the water, as happened in Bolivia, amongst several other cases.
In the following hearing, in the Mexican city of Guadalajara in October 2007, the Tribunal reaffirmed its international vocation, with the judging of seven cases, from Mexico and South America, to diverse cases of contamination by open-cast mining operations in Central America.
The last hearing was conducted in 2008, in the city of Antigua, Guatemala. This hearing had the particular task to analyze cases of abuse to the hydrics systems in indigenous territories, and counted on the participation of representatives from some of the main indigenous communities of Guatemala.
Istanbul Water Tribunal was held with the support of the Heinrrich Böell Foundation. The Water Tribunal analyzed five different cases related to bodies of water and hydrological systems. Three cases were from Turkey, one case from Mexico and Brazil each:
- The Yusufeli Dam Project, in the Çoruh river, the Turkish region of the Black Sea
- The Ilisu Dam Project, in the Dicle river (Tigris), in the provinces of Mardin and Şırnak
- The dams in the valley of Munzur, the province of Tunceli, on the Euphrates river
- The construction of mega dams on the Madeira river, in the state of Rondônia, Brazil; and
- The social and environmental impacts of water projects in Mexico.
Although it is certain that the verdicts and resolutions of the tribunal are not obligatory for compliance by the authorities of any one country, still these statements and the censorship from the international community impel a moral sentence, encouraging the search for alternatives in the solution of hydrological conflicts.
Bobby Ramakant - Citizen News Service (CNS)
Istanbul Water Tribunal was convened on 11 and 12 March 2009 where five cases related to bodies of water and hydrological systems were heard - and the Tribunal's verdict announced on 14 March 2009, a couple of days before the 5th World Water Forum is scheduled to open in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Water Tribunal is an international, independent and autonomous body for environmental justice, created for the purpose of helping resolve conflicts related to bodies of water and hydrological systems. It is based on coexistence principles, respect for human dignity, solidarity between peoples, sanctity of all life forms, and environmental responsibility.
The Tribunal seeks to bring back consciousness to people so they can form opinions on the handling and protection of water, as well as fomenting a vigilant attitude on the projects that can affect these valuable systems.
The Tribunal (created in 1998), held a meeting for the first time in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2000, to analyze eleven cases of threats to the hydrics systems in Central America.
A second Central American hearing was conducted, also in the city of San Jose, from March 15 to 19, 2004, with the purpose of settling nine causes on the infringement to the hydrological systems and the environmental rights of the communities in the region.
As a result of those experiences, the Tribunal met again, from March 13 to 20, 2006, in Mexico City, to settle 13 causes on infringement to the hydrological systems and environmental rights in Latin American countries, affected by far-reaching hydroelectric projects, like the La Parota, in Mexico; by cases of industrial and mining contamination; and by privatization of the water, as happened in Bolivia, amongst several other cases.
In the following hearing, in the Mexican city of Guadalajara in October 2007, the Tribunal reaffirmed its international vocation, with the judging of seven cases, from Mexico and South America, to diverse cases of contamination by open-cast mining operations in Central America.
The last hearing was conducted in 2008, in the city of Antigua, Guatemala. This hearing had the particular task to analyze cases of abuse to the hydrics systems in indigenous territories, and counted on the participation of representatives from some of the main indigenous communities of Guatemala.
Istanbul Water Tribunal was held with the support of the Heinrrich Böell Foundation. The Water Tribunal analyzed five different cases related to bodies of water and hydrological systems. Three cases were from Turkey, one case from Mexico and Brazil each:
- The Yusufeli Dam Project, in the Çoruh river, the Turkish region of the Black Sea
- The Ilisu Dam Project, in the Dicle river (Tigris), in the provinces of Mardin and Şırnak
- The dams in the valley of Munzur, the province of Tunceli, on the Euphrates river
- The construction of mega dams on the Madeira river, in the state of Rondônia, Brazil; and
- The social and environmental impacts of water projects in Mexico.
Although it is certain that the verdicts and resolutions of the tribunal are not obligatory for compliance by the authorities of any one country, still these statements and the censorship from the international community impel a moral sentence, encouraging the search for alternatives in the solution of hydrological conflicts.
Bobby Ramakant - Citizen News Service (CNS)
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