Completion of a land-use map preparation in five municipalities of Kathmandu Valley and initiated similar activities in other village development committees in the valley.

Adoption of poverty mapping and gender assessment methodologies developed by UN-HABITAT to benefit the poor in 10 municipalities as a part of Urban Environment Improvement Programme (UEIP) and Urban Development programme.

Ten poor clusters have been declared open defecation-free areas through introduction of innovative pro-poor financing mechanisms like revolving funds and micro-financing to facilitate sanitation coverage especially for the poor and deprived communities.

Establishment of model integrated WATSAN improvement programmes for peri-urban communities to demonstrate innovative and sustainable WATSAN technologies like community-managed drinking water treatment and supply systems; community-managed wastewater treatment systems; water bottling systems; rainwater harvesting (RWH); household-level drinking water treatment; ecological sanitation toilets; communal septic tanks, household and community scale biogas systems and household composting.

Promoting replicable community-managed wastewater treatment system as a learning site for professionals and technicians from other municipalities under the ADB-funded UEIP.

Implement different types of biogas systems by academic institutions and UNDP/GEF, and stakeholders in partnership with the Government of Nepal. Few demonstration systems have been established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Pooling up of resources by donor agencies to implement national-level arsenic testing and mitigation programme, in response to the MoU signed by the Drinking Water Supply System (DWSS), UN-HABITAT, UNICEF and WHO.

A conservation master plan is under preparation in association with the Government of Nepal and Nature Conservation Trust/UNEP, using a study of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu Valley.

Promotion of RWH since 2005 within and outside Kathmandu Valley by establishing demonstration sites and conducting various awareness-raising and capacity-building activities has resulted in consideration by the Government of Nepal in the MPPW’s 20-year Vision Paper and in the TYIP as well as by municipalities in their building by-laws as an alternative source for countering urban water scarcity.

Initiatives to prepare a national RWH policy and scale up RWH systems at both household and institutional levels are underway. One municipality has announced 30% subsidy on the cost of a building permit if RWH is installed.

A model water bottling and distribution system was successfully established in a poor neighbourhood in Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City by utilising a dug well. So far 2000 local people in and outside the settlement are benefited from easy access to affordable safe drinking water at a nominal cost of US$ 0.05 for 20 liters.

A feasibility study of water bottling was conducted and a business plan to initiate the supply of bottled water to urban poor communities in Kathmandu Valley under the Public-Private Partnership concept was developed.

The WAC-Nepal Programme established a partnership with the DWSS to strengthen the capacity of water supply users and sanitation committees in nine small towns under the Small Town WATSAN Project on various issues like sustainable and pro-poor WATSAN service delivery, water quality monitoring systems, and entrepreneurship skill development. Training to enhance the administrative skills of committee members was provided in all 29 small towns participating in the project.

Enhancing the management skills and service delivery mechanisms to some of the WAC-Nepal Programme partners by implementing an organisational development plan.

Increase in media coverage of the activities of the WAC-Nepal Programme and the level of awareness of policymakers at the central and municipal levels.

Publication on the study on “Mapping the Footprints of Water Movement in Patan, which traces the history of residents’ attempt to secure water rights”. The consultation process during its preparation and its printing sensitised local residents and authorities on plans to revive traditional water sources through stone spout management.

Disseminated several publications to generate awareness about pro-poor governance, community-based and managed projects, water conservation and demand management, and human values-based sanitation and hygiene education.

Study of groundwater recharge.

Study of the management of traditional water sources (stone spouts).

Support for the improvement of Bagmati River and its tributaries.

Research and study on faecal sludge management.

Introduction of SOLVATTEN, technology for purifying drinking water with solar energy and a filter.

Publication on a manual on using constructed wetland for wastewater treatment.

helps national and local authorities develop a “poverty map,” practice pro-poor governance and institutionalise policy frameworks;

develops pro-poor financing mechanisms for WATSAN service delivery;

supports local authorities in linking pro-poor income-generating activities to WATSAN programmes;

advocates for improved national and local WATSAN policies and practices;

promotes the mainstreaming of women, socially excluded and underprivileged communities and ethnic minorities in the WATSAN sector;

strengthens the capacity of the WAC-Nepal Programme and its partners to carry out gender and inclusion analysis in planning and programming;

designs and implement WATSAN programmes and projects from a gender-sensitive and inclusive perspective; and

regularly monitors gender and inclusion issues.

helps, establish and strengthen local water operators and national water utilities;

helps, establish and rehabilitate small-scale drinking water supply schemes and traditional water sources;

supports improvements in the water quality of established water supply systems;

assists in national-level arsenic testing and mitigation;

promotes household water treatment systems in urban and semi-urban poor communities and RWH systems and disaster preparedness for water supply;

extends WATSAN services to internally displaced people;

prepares water catchment management plans;

supports surface water protection planning and implementation;

promotes decentralised wastewater management systems;

assists in establishing local-level sanitation funds to improve access to sanitation among the ultra-poor;

promotes increased sanitation coverage;

helps upgrade entrepreneurial skills for income generation to enhance the affordability of WATSAN services;

promotes appropriate WATSAN technologies through capacity-building and entrepreneurship development;

supports community-based sustainable sanitation programmes.

strengthening the capacity of the SWM, the Government of Nepal and municipalities practicing SWM;

supporting municipalities in promoting the reduction, recycling and reuse of waste;

providing support to small-scale pilot projects demonstrating municipal waste management;

promoting Public-Private Partnerships in SWM;

sensitising national and local authorities to climate change; and

providing capacity-building in promoting clean development mechanisms in municipalities.

raise awareness and build the capacities among the community;

strengthen the institutional capacities of WATSAN agencies and utilities to implement government policies in municipalities and small towns;

introduce human value-based water, sanitation and hygiene education to create a new water ethics; and

strengthen the management capacity of the WAC-Nepal Programme.

introducing the current national WATSAN status-reporting system and baseline for MDGs;

supporting the Government of Nepal in developing MDG monitoring and localizing tools; and

demonstrating how to localize MDGs and monitor targets for WATSAN.