Better WASH for Healthy Nepal

ECCA has been promoting WATASOL (concentrated sodium hypochlorite solution) as a water disinfection method to ensure the access to safe and treated drinking water in the rural areas as well as in different slum areas in the Kathmandu valley. During the process of promotion and information dissemination, youths were mobilized at local level in different community where water has always been scarce and are very vulnerable to water borne diseases. In due course of mobilization, Mr Arun Kumar Nepal has been hired by ECCA as a social mobilizer for the promotion of WATASOL in different slum areas in Kathmandu Valley.

Arun, also known as WATA Dai (Dai is known as big brother in Nepali language), is involved with 10 slums located in the periphery of Bagmati, Bishnumati and Dhobikhola river corridor of Kathmandu valley for the promotion of WATASOL. Water in slum areas has always been scarce and hence they collect water from any sources available without thinking about its safety. They are highly vulnerable to water borne diseases.

Hence, he does counselling to the people in the slum areas about safe drinking water and different water purification techniques. He conducts Door to Door Campaign in order to make people aware about the use of safe water, regularly monitors the usages of WATASOL and reminds them the effective use of WATASOL. He also does refill WATASOL for regular people in the slum areas.

As free residual chlorine (FRC) test after the use of chlorine and Coliform test of water is also an important part of ensure the safety of water being used in house, he also performs these tests as necessity. He carries few bottles of WATASOL with him everyday and sells them to the slum people as per their requirement. He also ensures that the users have put necessary amount of WATASOL in water or not. Usually his bag with WATASOL bottles weighs about 5 kgs and sometimes he has to carry the bag whole day if users don’t refill their bottle.

The people in the slum areas are convienced with the use of WATASOL and accepted as a medicine to disinfect contaminated water and take Mr. Arun Nepal as a social worker who has been devoting his time to improve their health. Hence, he has been renamed as WATA Dai in all the slum areas. Because of Arun – WATA Dai, people are sensitized towards different water related issues. They became aware that the uses of untreated water can cause many water borne diseases. And, therefore they take precautions before using water from any source.

As a result, above 1000 families of different slum areas are adopting WATASOL as simple and cheapest way to purify water before they use it. All those families support WATA Dai for his work in their areas and now acknowledge him as social mobilizer and social entrepreneur.

With the above notes, we would like to express our sincere thanks to all our donors, supporters, well-wishers and the globalgiving team for your continuous support in our initiation. We would also like to request you to disseminate the information of our program in your circle so as to raise funds and support the needy community. We hope for your feedback, comments and suggestion regarding our program at ecca@mos.com.np so that we could implement our program more effectively.

Regards,

Angel Chitrakar

angel@ecca.org.np

Program Officer

ECCA, Nepal.