Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) and EAWAG/ SANDEC jointly organized a workshop on Solar Water Disinfection Technique (SODIS) on 7 January, 2010 in Kathmandu.
The workshop had been held to formulate strategy plan for further promotion of the technology in Nepal, which concluded to conduct public awareness campaigns while promoting SODIS at different levels. It recommended that the technology, apart from water and sanitation sector, should be promoted integrating with other sectors including education and health. It stressed on publicizing the report of the research carried out recently on PET bottles and its health impact. It is believed that such report can be very supportive for the stakeholders and stakeholders to convince the SODIS users about harmless effect of these materials.
The workshop has suggested the organizer to work in partnership with private sector for the effective promotion of SODIS, while it also highlighted to promote the technology as a part of Household Water Treatment options instead of promoting separately.
At the programme, Birendra Man Shakya, Chief, Water Quality Monitoring and Implementation Section, DWSS expressed that the time has come for all the stakeholders to pay attention to improve the quality of drinking water in the present scenario of increased coverage of drinking water across the country (around 80 percent). He also requested the civil society organizations to support the government in its initiatives in drinking water sector.
Curriculum Officer, Curriculum Development Centre Ram Prasad Subedi opined that the knowledge about the SODIS and other Point of Use Water Treatment Options can be imparted up to grass root level by integrating in existing education system.
Continuing the programme, Biju Dangol, Senior Programme Officer, ENPHO, shared information about SODIS technology in Nepal. She briefed about the activities implemented in last 10 years to promote SODIS in the country. According to her, the SODIS users are found increasing gradually across the country after these initiatives. Though this technology sounds pro-poor due to it’s naming as Zero Cost Technology, SODIS has been found adopted even by high class societies.
She further told that ENPHO along with EAWAG/SANDEC conducted research during the period of 2001-2002 at different altitudes to test the effect of SODIS. It was then implemented in different communities in 2005, after successful research results. During 2006-2010, ENPHO focused on institutionalization for the sustainable promotion of SODIS in Nepal.
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