Hima rural municipality of Jumla organized a two-day water conference and discussed in-depth the issues of identification and protection of water sources. The water conference was organized for the sustainable solution of drinking water after the water sources started drying up due to rapid population growth, indiscriminate deforestation, and fires.
In the conference, there was a discussion on the condition of drinking water springs in the municipality, efforts to conserve resources, and the impact of climate change on the drinking water sector. There was also a discussion about the attachment of local residents to the drinking water sector. A 12-point commitment has also been made covering the topics discussed in the
conference. It has been committed to create a procedure for the sustainable management of drinking water, create and implement a municipality-level water sanitation and hygiene plan, manage the fund by raising a fee of one rupee a day for community water and meter-wise for private water, and submit a report to the ward and municipality every year for every water supply project.
One house, one nutrition garden and household garden management, planting trees to prevent the process of drying up of water sources, conducting water testing during and after the rainy season, creating and implementing a water supply and sanitation hygiene plan in schools, organizing the accounts of the water supply plan and conducting public inspections every year.
Within 5 years, it has been promised to create a completely sanitary rural municipality, to conduct an awareness campaign to use taps and toilets even during menstruation, to establish an emergency fund in the municipality and to properly appoint a Pani Herala to oversee the drinking water scheme.
Sustainable drinking water sanitation and hygiene project for all is being conducted in 28 municipalities of Karnali. The Hima of Jumla organized the first water conference. Sumita Shahi, the resident coordinator of Hima rural municipality, said that the water conference was held with the main objective of sustainable management and operation of the drinking water scheme.
Hima rural municipality chairman Lakshman Bahadur Shahi said that the conference was organized to institutionalize the work done by Hima in water supply and sanitation. There was a commitment to develop a model of drinking water in five years. According to which, the water sources and water supply projects are being worked on,'' President Shahi said, 'We have emphasized on the conservation and utilization of water resources.' Officials of 31 water supply projects, people's representatives, and bodies related to water supply participated in the conference. Out of 31 consumer committees, plans have been signed with 27 committees and implemented. An agreement has been reached with them on the maintenance and implementation of the water and sanitation plan.
