Can I Recycle This? A Guide for Do-Gooders

By: Jason Woods

If you’re paying attention even a little bit, it’s easy to find some alarming news about human consumption and how it affects the Earth. If we want to prevent a future where we all live on a Wall-E-style trash planet, an easy place to start is recycling at home.

Make the Planet a Better Place

While you're becoming a better recycler, also consider donating to our work to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.

But is it that easy, though?

On a daily basis, I try to get some quick Good Place points by recycling. But an irritatingly high percentage of the time, a more seasoned do-gooder hits me with an “Actually, you can’t recycle that” before I can get to the bin. Apparently, I’ve been an “aspirational recycler”all this time, which does more harm than good.

So it’s time to reform. Here’s a simple guide for what goes in your home recycling bin to make sure you and I are recycle-shamed no more. (And, you know, actually helping the environment).

Before we dive in, keep in mind that it never hurts to check with your local recycler to see what can and can’t be recycled — some recycling facilities can handle more types of materials than others. And whatever you're recycling, make sure to rinse all food residue before putting it in the bin.

Can you recycle plastic?

This is probably the most complicated question on the list. And it’s arguably the most important—after food, plastics take up the most space in municipal landfills. So let’s break it down.

YES: Bottles, jars, jugs......

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The systems imperative for SDG WASH success

Patrick Moriarty, CEO of IRC (credit IRC)
There has been growing recognition in recent years that improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene provision are best secured by using a systems-based approach. Patrick Moriarty makes the case for wider progress.

It is clear that making sure every man, woman and child on the planet has a safe source of water and a safely managed toilet by 2030 will require a monumental global effort. This is the case despite the international community’s support for water and sanitation over many years achieving mixed results. In recent years, this has fed a growing belief in the need for a new approach – an approach known as WASH systems strengthening.

The acronym WASH – water, sanitation and hygiene – encapsulates a main element of good hygiene practice. Broadly speaking, the group of people and organisations most comfortable with using WASH to describe their ‘sector’ and work are those focused outside of the more formal, mainstream public utility provision of drinking water and sanitation services. Typically, these organisations work in rural areas, smaller towns and informal settlements. The WASH systems agenda does have things to say to the utility end of service provision, but it has much more to say to the informal world of WASH.

The WASH systems agenda has grown out of concern that, despite reasonable progress under the Millennium Development Goals, something is not really working in WASH. Headline figures for coverage are largely moving in the right direction, but they are doing so too slowly – and the quality and sustainability of the services delivered are too often inadequate. A widely shared guesstimate has around a third of water supply infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa not working at any given time. More detailed research paints a bleaker picture still, with norms for reliability, ease of access and, especially, quality at point of use too often missed. This means that, in practice, the majority of people living in rural areas and informal settlements do not have access to safe or adequate water or sanitation, and so are deprived of their human rights.

In practice, the majority of people living in rural areas and informal settlements do not have access to safe or adequate water or sanitation

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पूर्ण सरसफाइ उन्मुख गाउँपालिका घोषणा गर्न जल कचहरी, १० बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता

कालिकोट : पलाँता गाउँपालिकालाई पूर्ण सरसफाइ उन्मुख गाउँपालिका घोषणा गर्न दोस्रो पटक १० बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता सहित जलकचहरी कार्यक्रम सम्पन्न भएको छ । गाउँपालिकाले खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छताका क्षेत्रमा रहेका समस्याहरुको खोजी गरी समाधान गर्ने उद्देश्यले बर्षमा दुई पटक जलकचहरी कार्यक्रम गर्दै आएको छ ।

जनप्रतिनिधि, कर्मचारी, खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छता क्षेत्रमा कार्यरत संघ संस्था र स्थानीयको सहभागितामा जलकचहरी गरेको हो । पलाँता गाउँपालिकाले २०७४ को चैत्र ४ गते खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छता क्षेत्रमा सुधार गर्न ७ बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता जाहेर गरेको थियो ।

के छ त प्रतिबद्धतामा ?

१. खानेपानी तथा सरसफाइ प्रबर्द्धनका सवालमा गाउँपालिकाले कम्तीमा बर्षमा २ पटक जलकचहरी गर्न प्रतिबद्ध छौं ।

२. किर्डाक नेपाल/वाटर एडको सहयोग एवं सहजीकरणमा पलाँता गाउँपालिकाको एकीकृत उत्थानशील खानेपानी सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता रणनैतिक योजना २०७५ भित्र निर्माण गरी कार्यान्वयन गर्ने गाउँपालिका प्रतिवद्ध छ ।

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Thriving toilet economy of India’s financial capital

Figures speak for themselves in India’s most populous city. Census 2011 data revealed that nearly 42% of Mumbai’s total population of nearly 1.3 crore, i.e. nearly 55 lakh people, live in slums and are thereby excluded from some of the most basic amenities — including guaranteed access to safe and clean toilets and water.

In 2011, when Jeremy Clarkson, the presenter of BBC’s hit auto show, Top Gear, lampooned the state of sanitation in India by driving around prime cities in his lavatory-fitted Jaguar, the show attracted widespread condemnation. Clarkson was accused of being racist by disgruntled Indians from around the world, whose fragile sensibilities were hurt by the unexpected and ill-humoured exposé that uncovered India’s repulsive reality. It even led to diplomatic outrage, with the Indian High Commission in London demanding an apology from the BBC for making India the butt of such “tasteless toilet humour.”

That a large section of India’s population — both rural and urban — is forced to defecate in the open because of the lack of basic sanitation facilities, is a fact, which has become so obvious, that we have become inured to it. So much so, that it disturbs our collective conscience only when a foreigner makes it the focus of global ridicule. Sadly, even this occasional outrage is never focussed on the real issue, never followed by decisive action, as we tend to close our noses and look away, leaving crores of Indians to continue to lead a life of indignity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), has without any doubt seen India make rapid progress since 2014, but we are still a long way from the cherished goal of making the country open defecation-free (ODF). Like its predecessors, the focus of SBM too, is squarely on toilet construction without considering community participation and inculcating a sense of ownership among the users.

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Harassment, lack of toilets cause pre-term births in India

Water scarcity, harassment, lack of toilets – a new study has identified some of these factors as reasons for pre-term births in India.

The study from the University of Iowa says that women who spend more time fetching water, use a shared latrine, and endure harassment are more apt to give birth to a pre-term or low-birth weight babies. The findings by researchers in the University of Iowa College of Public Health came from a study that examines the complex relationships between water and sanitation access and social conditions on birth outcomes among women in India.

Globally, preterm birth (PTB) and low infant birth weight (LBW) are leading causes of maternal and child illnesses and death. In low-income countries, the challenges women face to meet their basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs may be a major contributor to adverse health outcomes.

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11 key lessons about water, sanitation and hygiene in schools

When children have access to safe water, toilets and soap for handwashing at school, they have a better environment to study, to learn and to realize their full potential.

When schools have safe water, toilets and soap for handwashing, children have a healthy learning environment, and girls are more likely to attend when they are on their period.

Children who learn about safe water, sanitation and hygiene habits at school can reinforce positive life-long behaviours in their homes and their communities. However, millions of children go to school every day in unsafe learning environments, with no drinking water, no proper toilets, and no soap for washing their hands.

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यी हुन् बर्खामा देखिने रोग, कसरी जोगिने ?

काठमाडौं । वर्षात्को समयमा पानीजन्य सरुवा रोगको जोखिम बढ्दै गएको चिकित्सकहरुले बताएका छन् । विशेषगरी बर्खामा झाडापखाला, टाइफाइड र जण्डिस रोगको जोखिम बढी हुने गर्छ ।

झाडापखाला, जन्डिस, आउँ, हैजा, टाईफाईड तथा जन्डिसका बिरामीको संख्या बढी रहेको शुक्रराज ट्रपिकल तथा सरुवा रोग अस्पताल टेकुका विशेषज्ञ डा. शेरबहादुर पुनले बताए । उनले भने, “पानीजन्य रोगहरु झाडापखाला, आउँ, हैजा, टाईफाईड र जन्डिस रोग बर्खाको समयमा बढी देखिन्छ ।” टेकु अस्पतालमा गएको वैशाखदेखि साउनसम्ममा १ सय ६१ जना पानीजन्य रोगका बिरामी आएको बताइएको छ । यसमा पनि महिला बढी छन् ।

पानीजन्य रोगको संक्रमण फैलनबाट जोगिनका लागि विशेष गरी आफ्नो दैनिकी र रहनसहनलाई ख्याल गर्नुपर्ने र खानपानमा विशेष सावधानी अपनाउनु पर्ने डा. पुन बताउँछन् । अहिले पानी शुद्धतामा निकै समस्या देखिएकाले विशेष ख्याल गर्नुपर्ने र खानेकुरामा सावधानी अपनाउनु पर्ने चिकित्सकको सुझाव छ ।  पानीको शुद्धतामा घरबाहिर मात्र होइन, घरभित्र पनि विशेष सावधानी अपनाउनु पर्ने डा. पुन बताउँछन् । “घरभित्रको पानी त हो नि भनेर विश्वास गर्दा समस्या आउन सक्छ । मौसमी रोगको संक्रमण धेरै हदसम्म हाम्रै रहनसहनका कारण हुने भएकाले आफूले अलिकति ध्यान दिएमा धेरै रोगको जोखिमबाट बच्न सकिन्छ,” उनले भने ।

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Sanitation and Hygiene Expert-CARE Nepal (Based on Kathmandu)

[Vacancy]
Key responsibilities: 
The Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist is responsible for supporting design and implementation of hygiene and health promotion activities in conjuction with Earthquake Response and Recovery program team, the Consortium members and CARE’s implementing partners. S/he works under close supervision of WASH team leader to plan, implement and monitor the delivery of hygiene and health promotion activities in the earthquake affected communities of the project districts. 

Preferred Qualifications and Experience: 
Master’s degree in Civil/Sanitation/Water Engineering, Public Health, Environment or other related field with at least 3 years of experience in planning and implementing community based hygiene promotion activities and social behavior change communication preferably in development sector. 

Interested candidates are encouraged to obtain the detailed Job description from our website at www.carenepal.org and fill the Online Application Form. The last date for submitting the application is 17:00hrs, 17 July 2018. In addition to the Online Application form, please send an application and a recent CV to apply@care.org 

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Why Are Indian Kids Smaller Than African kids? Hint: It’s Not Race

By Sanjay Wijesekera

5 month old Manish, at a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, Guna, Madhya Pradesh. In 2013 when this picture was taken, Madhya Pradesh alone had 5% of all open defecators in the world, and 50% of children under 3 were stunted.

A story on the high incidence of malnutrition among children in India reminded us of a curious phenomenon that for years had puzzled development and health professionals. Despite India’s growing economic power and successive governments who paid serious attention to increasing food supply, children in that country remained smaller than those in less well-off countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

It took years of research and large-scale case studies - some of which were published by UNICEF, USAID and WHO in Improving Nutrition Outcomes with Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - to pin it down. There is a very widespread lack of adequate and diverse food intake among young children, which needs to be addressed, in both India and poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in India there is an additional and unexpected villain in the piece: a lack of toilets.

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पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ : खुला दिसामुक्त क्षेत्रपछि पूर्ण सरसफाइ घोषणा नगरे पनि हुने

काठमाडौ २० वैशाख । खुला दिसामुक्त घोषणा भइसकेका गाउँपालिका तथा नगरपालिकालाई पूर्ण सरसफाइ घोषणा गर्न अनिवार्य नहुने व्यवस्था सहित पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ कार्यान्वयनमा आएको छ । पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शनको औचित्य, लक्ष्य र उद्देश्य, पूर्ण सरसफाइका क्रियाकलाप तथा पूर्ण सरसफाइका सूचक जस्ता विषयलाई समेटेर राष्ट्रिय सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता समन्वय समितिले मार्गदर्शन जारी गरेको हो ।

समितिले सरसफाई गुरुयोजना २०६८ र वातावरणमैत्री स्थानीय सुशासन ढाँचा २०७० लाई मुख्य आधार मानेर पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ तयार पारेको हो । मार्गदर्शन तयार पार्दा क्षेत्र तथा जिल्ला तहका सरोकारवालाहरुको पृष्ठपोषण, राष्ट्रिय कार्यशालाको सुझाव र घोषणा पत्र, दिगो विकास लक्ष्य, स्थानीय निकायको नेतृत्व, मानव मलमुत्रीय फोहोरको व्यवस्थापन, ठोस तथा तरल फोहोरमैलाको प्रशोधन गरी पुनः प्रयोग वा तोकिएको मापदण्ड अनुसार विसर्जन गर्नुपर्ने अपरिहार्यता र विज्ञहरुको राय सुझावलाई समेत ध्यान दिइएको राष्ट्रिय सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता समन्वय समितिका सदस्य सचिव एवं वातावरणीय सरसफाइ शाखाका प्रमुख प्रेमकृष्ण श्रेष्ठले जानकारी दिनुभयो ।


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काठमाडौंको पानीमा कोलिफोर्म

Toilet-Ek Prem Katha

"Sanitation if More Importance than Independence. " said by Mahatma Gandhi
......
"If you will change nothing, nothing will change you." wow. 
Yes, we can change the health and hygiene of billions with the simple sanitation solution i.e. TOILET.
....

It's time to be a part of Keshav and Jaya's anokhi love story! Presenting the trailer of Toilet- Ek Prem Katha. 

Catch the movie in theatres on 11th August, 2017.

Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym4EJQ7XORk

“We don’t talk about it at all !” The taboo of menstruation in rural Maharashtra

Priyanka, 13 and a chirpy adolescent girl studying in a government school in a village called ‘Rohini Gaun’ 25 kms from Wardha in Maharashtra blushes and says, "We don’t talk about it at all!". That is how deep seated the taboo around menstruation is in rural India and our society as a whole, where mothers do not discuss it with their daughters or even among themselves. It is something to be 'hidden' from each other and the men folk of the household as if it never happened!  Priyanka gushes and says, "I got my menses when I turned thirteen few months ago and till that very time, I had no information about what menstrual cycle is." She says her mother told her nothing to prepare her for the change in her physiology and her life in general. "Menstruation onset turned my life upside down in more ways than one," Priyanka says regretfully, as if she felt she had been better off before it began.

In rural India as a whole, menstruation is a taboo writ with stigma not permitting discussion or even information seeking. Because of the shame and superstitions associated with this monthly biological occurrence, these women are impacted by poor menstrual hygiene. On an average a woman has 3000 days of menstruation in her lifetime, which begins from 8-16 years and ends in her late forties or early fifties, with very real and practical needs like material for absorption of menstrual blood, facilities for proper disposal of used materials with privacy and dignity.

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परिक्षण बिनै भाइरलको औषधि वितरण

स्रोत: कान्तिपुर दैनिक, भदौ 19, 2069 

स्वास्थ्यमा दात्रि निकायको चासो

A 7-point plan for Comprehensive Diarrhea Control

We know what needs to be done to reduce the burden of childhood diarrhoea. A package of proven prevention and treatment measures are now available that, if taken to scale, would have a profound impact on reducing child deaths and would lead to a significant reduction in the diarrhoea burden in the medium to long term.

Treatment package

The treatment package focuses on two main elements, as laid out in the UNICEF and WHO 2004 joint statement: 
1. Fluid replacement to prevent dehydration

2. Zinc treatment.

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WASH Fact Quiz

What is the full form of WASH?	Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
How many goals on Millennium Development Goal (MDG)?	8
How many SACOSAN (South Asian Conference on Sanitation) were held so far?	4
When was the international year of Sanitation (IYS)?	2008
When was the National Sanitation Master Plan endorsed?	2011 (2068)
What is the MDG goal target for Toilet coverage?	53 %
What is the economic value for return on WASH Investment (In times)?	9 times
What are 5F on WASH?	Finger, Fly, Fluid, Field, Food
What percent of disease risk is reduced when washed hand with soap?	45 %
What is the coverage of washing hand in Nepal?  (Souce:2008)	17 %
How many viruses are present on 1 gram stool?	1 crore (10 million)
How many children die due to Diarrhoea?	10500
What are the four key methods for Point of use (POU) of Water?	Boiling, filtration, chlorination and SODIS
What is the concentration of chlorine on PIYUSH +?	0.7 %
What was the theme for World Water Day 2012?	Water and Food Security
How much time is required minimum to purify water on SODIS Method on a normal day?	7 hours
What is the full form of SLTS?	School Led Total Sanitation
What is the current need for drinking water supply in Kathmandu Valley?	210 MLD
What are 4R on Waste Management?	Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and Rethink
How many districts are declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone so far?	2 district (Kaski and Chitwan)
In the world, due to diarrhoeal diseases one child is died in every …………?	15 second
How much percent of population constitutes for youth aged 16-40? Source: THE PHURBA TIMES	39 % (38.8%)

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE: BREAKING THE SILENCE

March 1, 2012/ Belen Torondel 

Menstruation is a major part of life for millions of young girls and women worldwide. On average, a woman will menstruate for 3,000 days during her lifetime. However, the needs and challenges faced by many young women and girls as they struggle to manage their menstrual hygiene are largely ignored, especially in developing countries. This situation persists despite new developments in the hygiene and sanitation sector in recent years. Addressing this issue is not just about the availability of related products and facilities: hygienic sanitary pads, water, and toilets with lockable doors to ensure privacy. It also involves tackling the embarrassment that prevents young girls and women sharing their questions, the shame often associated with menstruation, and the cruelty of people laughing at young girls and women when they find out they are menstruating.

This situation gets even more complicated if young girls and women have to go to schools or other public places where there is either no toilet or no hygienic toilet, no water and soap, and no facilities for disposal of materials. Many of them decide to stay at home and therefore miss many hours of school and education. Menstruation can also affect women’s social lives, especially in cultures where menstruating women are expected to act, or are treated, differently. For example, in some cultures, a woman may not attend community worship and in certain cases must stay away from her family during menstruation due to social taboos.

Many women are also subject to health risks. Urinary tract infections, dermatitis, abdominal pains, vaginal scabies and complications during pregnancy can all be caused by poor menstrual hygiene management. The factors leading to these difficulties include lack of awareness, lack of hygienic sanitary pads, lack of toilets without water and soap, and lack of drying areas for rags used for menstrual hygiene management. I wonder why the issue of menstrual hygiene management continues to be neglected? Is it because female voices are not heard within the family, town, health service, government, or intervention programmes? Is the topic not discussed because women feel ashamed or embarrassed to talk about it? Or are such messages not listened to by policy-makers designing programmes for the education and health sectors?

Who should be doing something, and which sector should take the lead: gender, sanitation, education, reproductive health, or the private sector? Women and girls of the world: talk about the topic and break the taboo. This is the starting point of a long journey that we all still need to walk together. Our contribution is to begin assessing the current available evidence and to identify areas of research that can make a difference in this important aspect of women’s life. This research will serve as a foundation for action on this important issue.

Source: Trust.org

(http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/blogs/international-womens-day-2012/menstrual-hygiene-breaking-the-silence)

त्रिशूली मिनरल वाटर र सिद्धार्थ बेकरीमा सिल

काठमाडौ, भाद्र २७ -
स्वास्थ्य जोखिममा पार्ने गरी दूषित उत्पादन गरेको भन्दै सरकारले मंगलबार मनमैजुस्थित त्रिशूली मिनरल वाटर र नयाँ बजारस्थित सिद्धार्थ बेकरीमा सिल गरेको छ ।

वाणिज्य विभाग, काठमाडौं प्रशासन कार्यालय, उपभोक्ता मञ्च नेपाल र उपभोक्ता अधिकार अनुसन्धान मञ्चको संयुक्त टोलीले अनुगमन क्रममा मापदण्डविपरीत उत्पादन फेला पारेको हो ।

'त्रिशूली मिनरल वाटर एन्ड वेभरेज' मा दूषित पानी फेला परेको उजुरीका आधारमा मंगलबार छापा मारिएको थियो । अनुगमन टोली मध्याह्न मनमैजु-२ स्थित लोकतान्त्रिक चोक पुग्दा आसपासका केही पसले सटर बन्द गर्न हतारिएका थिए । टोली चोकबाट तलतिर लाग्नेबित्तिकै एक कामदार दौडेर त्रिशूली पानी उद्योगमा छिरेका थिए । लगत्तै छिरेको टोली पानीमा जुत्ता पखालेर छिर्नुपर्ने नियमअनुसार पानी पसेको थियो । त्यहाँ केही कामदार बजारबाट आएको जार माझ्दै थिए भने केही जारमा पानी भरिरहेका थिए ।

सञ्चालक होम बोगटीले 'नियम पुर्‍याएको' भन्दै उद्योगबारे टोलीलाई जानकारी दिए । तर टोलीले जार र बोतल निरीक्षण गर्दा मंगलबार उत्पादन भरिँदै गरेको पानीको बोतलमा जुलाई २०११ र म्याद सकिने मिति डिसेम्बर लेखिएको थियो ।

उद्योगमा नापतौल विभागको प्रमाणपत्र, प्यान नम्बर, लेबलमा ब्याच नम्बरसमेत भेटिएन । ल्याब टेक्निसियन र ल्याब पनि उद्योगमा राखिएको थिएन । बोरिङ गरेर निकालेको पानी शुद्धीकरण गर्ने रड पनि फलामको खिया लागेको थियो । पानी छान्न प्रयोग गरिएका प्लास्टिकका बाटाहरू निकै फोहोर थिए भने तेस्रो तलाको बाटा त ह्वाङ-ह्वाङती प्वाल परेकाले पानी बिनाप्रशोधन सीधै दोस्रो बाटामा झरिरहेको थियो । मापदण्डविपरीत उद्योग सञ्चालन भएकाले एक साताका लागि सुधारको मौका दिएर उद्योग सिल गरिएको वाणिज्य विभागका उपसचिव टीकाप्रसाद भण्डारीले बताए ।

'सञ्चालकले स्पष्टीकरणसमेत पेस गरी सुधार गराएमा पुनः अनुगमन गरेर मात्रै उद्योग सञ्चालन गर्न अनुमति दिन्छौं,' उनले भने, 'परीक्षणका लागि नमुना लिएका छौं, खान नहुने देखिए सञ्चालकलाई कानुनी कारबाही पनि हुनेछ ।'

अनुगमन भइरहँदा मनमैजुकै कृष्णप्रसाद ढुंगानाले बजारमा किनेको त्रिशूली ब्रान्डकै पानीमा बोतलभित्र 'पराल' जस्तो वस्तु देखिएपछि सञ्चारकर्मीसमेत चकित भएका थिए । उद्योग सञ्चालक बोगटीले 'कर्मचारीको कमजोरीले यस्तो भएको' भन्दै गल्ती स्विकारे । उनी र उनका परिवारका सदस्य भन्दै थिए, 'मलाई शत्रु लागेर यस्तो भयो ।'

यसैगरी टोलीले काठमाडौं महानगरपालिका-१६ नयाँबजारस्थित 'सद्धार्थ बेकरी एन्ड कन्फेक्सनरी' मा पनि अनुगमन गरी सिल गरेको छ । बेकरीको किचन फोहर, नापतौल सामग्रीमा गडबडी, उद्योगसम्बन्धी कागजपत्र र खाद्य अनुज्ञापत्र नभएकाले बन्द गरियो ।  ओभनबाट निकालिएका मिठाईहरू खुल्ला छाडिएको अवस्थामा थियो । ती मिठाईमा झिङ्गा र भुसुना भन्किएका थिए ।

उपभोक्ता अधिकार अनुसन्धान मञ्चका अध्यक्ष माधव तिमल्सिनाका अनुसार कोठाको र्‍याकमा केक र अन्य खानेकुरामा प्रयोग गरिने रसायनिक पदार्थ म्याद गुजि्रएको र फोहोर बट्टामा राखेको पाइएको थियो । मिठाई बनाउने र प्याकिङ गर्ने कोठाअगाडि शौचालय र पानी तान्ने ट्युबेल थियो । खुल्ला ठाउँमा समेत हिलो जमेर दुर्गन्धित थियो । केक र क्रिम बनाउने कोठाको टेबलमुनि बजारबाट फिर्ता आएको केक पनि भेटिए । 'बजारबाट फर्काएको सामान पनि मिसाएर बेकरीको सामान बनाउने गरेको पायौं,' उपभोक्ता मञ्च नेपालका प्रतिनिधि रोशन पोखरेलले भने । त्यस्तै तराजु पनि सन्तुलनमा थिएन । टोली बेकरी उद्योगमा पुग्दा सञ्चालक गणेश पाण्डेकी श्रीमती मात्रै थिइन् । उनले श्रीमान् बजार गएको भन्दै दर्तासम्बन्धी कागजपत्रबारे थाहा नभएको बताइन् । केही समयमा सञ्चालक पाण्डे आएपछि प्यान र घरेलुमा दर्ता भएको कागजपत्र देखाए पनि खाद्य अनुज्ञापत्र नभएपछि टोलीले सिल गर्ने निर्णय गर्‍यो । बेकरीका खानेकुरा बनाउन प्रयोग गरिने सामान ठीक छ/छैन खाद्य अनुज्ञापत्र नभएसम्म योग्य भए/नभएको थाहा हुँदैन ।

गणेशले आफ्नो गल्ती भएकालेे एक पटकलाई सुधार्ने मौका दिन आग्रह गरेका थिए । ताला लगाउने निर्णय गर्न लागेका विभागका उपसचिव टीकाप्रसाद भण्डारीलाई गणेशले हात समाउनसमेत भ्याए । धेरै पटक हात जोडे । निर्णय गर्न अवरोध गरेपछि भण्डारीले सटरको छेउकै कुर्सीमा बसेर ताला लगाउन भने । त्यसपछि गणेशकी श्रीमती 'अब हामी के खाने ? बनाएको सामान सबै बिग्रने भयो' भन्दै रोइरहेकी थिइन् ।

टोलीले कमलपोखरीस्थित राजन ग्यास स्टोरमा अनुगमन गर्दा  कालाबजारी गरेको भेटियो । सिल तोडेर ग्यास बिक्री गर्ने गरेको उजुरी आधामा टोलीले अनुगमन गरेको थियो । टोलीलाई समेत सञ्चालकले झूटो विवरण बताएका थिए । विभिन्न उद्योगका ३ सय ५० भन्दा बढी सिलिन्डर स्टोरमा भए पनि टोलीलाई उनले सुरुमा ३ वटा मात्रै भरिएको सिलिन्डर भएको बताएका थिए । अनुगमनपछि ७० भन्दा बढी सिलिन्डर अन्डर ग्राउन्डको दुईवटा कोठामा ग्यास भरेर राखेको भेटिएको थियो । उनले सुरुमा एउटा मात्रै कोठामा ग्यास रहेको बताएको थिए । राजन ग्यास डिपोले एचपी, सिद्धार्थ, सुगम, लुम्बिनी, हिमाल, कोसी, भानु, नेपाल ग्यासको डिपो राखेको पाए पनि डिलर राख्ने स्वीकृति भने देखाएन ।

पसलमा मूल्यसूची, व्यवसाय दर्ता, नापतौल प्रमाणपत्र नभएको र ग्यास सिलिन्डर संख्यासमेत झूटो बताएकाले स्पष्टीकरणसहित तीन दिनभित्र कागजपत्र पेस गर्न टोलीले समय दिएको छ ।

'झूटो विवरण दिनेले उपभोक्तालाई ग्यास नदिएको पनि हुन सक्छ,' विभागका उपसचिव भण्डारीले भने, 'पसल सञ्चालकले धेरै गल्ती गरे पनि पसलमा सिल लगाउँदा चाडपर्वका बेला उपभोक्तालाई समस्या पर्न सक्छ, त्यसैले स्पष्टीकरण सोधेका छांै, चित्तनबुझे कालाबजारीअन्तर्गत प्रशासनमा मुद्दा पेस गर्छौं ।'

यसैगरी प्रशासनले बबरमहलको एक घरमा छापा मारेर बीएमसी मसलाको 'नक्कली मसला' बरामद गरेको छ । टोलीले वीर अस्पताल असपासको औषधि पसलमा पनि अनुगमन गरे पनि केही फेला पारेन ।

स्रोत: कान्तिपुर दैनिक

Make Right to Water, Sanitation a law: UN chief

Make Right to Water, Sanitation a law: UN chief

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all member states to integrate the right to water and sanitation into their body of laws, Xinhua reported on Thursday.

Ban’s statement came as he addressed the UN General Assembly during a plenary meeting on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. "Many of your governments have already included the rights to water and sanitation in your Constitutions and your domestic legislation," Ban said. "Those governments that have yet to do so should follow suit without delay."

He said that a lack of water and sanitation is widespread and often devastating around the globe. "At any one time, close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering from health problems caused by poor water and sanitation," he said. "Together unclean water and poor sanitation are the world’s second biggest killers of children."

Ban said that it is important to remember that although water has been established in some settings as a "right”, this does not mean that it is supposed to be free. "Rather, it means that water and sanitation services should be affordable and available for all, and that states must do everything in their power to make this happen," he explained.

The current drought and resulting humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, Ban noted, serves as a reminder of the importance of water to the very survival of human beings.

Source: onlinenews.com (http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=181899)