UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education and partners have been awarded a US$ 8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will be used for postgraduate sanitation education and research with a focus on solutions for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. This 5-year capacity building and research project was developed by Prof. Damir Brdjanovic, Professor of Sanitary Engineering at UNESCO-IHE and his team.

School children (both girls and boys) in Uganda’s northern Amuru and Gulu regions are being taught how to make sanitary pads using cheap, locally available materials. This is one of the measures being undertaken to increase girls’ retention in primary schools.  Only 38 per cent of eligible girls are enrolled in primary schools in Gulu in 2011, against a national rate of 70 per cent.

District Public Health Office, Bhaktapur (urban) and Dhading (rural) with the technical support from WaterAid in Nepal conducted one day menstrual hygiene and WASH related training during June and July 2011 targeting to Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), teachers and women’s group. The similar types of presentation and methods were used in both the settings in which Mr. Om Prasad Gautam, Social Development Adviser to WaterAid in Nepal presented ‘menstrual hygiene’ and Mrs.

Mumbai: Maharashtra has the highest number of people living in urban centres at 50.8 million with Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune being the most urbanised districts, and Gadchiroli, Sindhudurg and Hingoli being the least urbanised, according to Census of India 2011.

This webinar presentation is based on findings from a Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) study of 50 local governments that were declared 100% sanitized/open defecation free almost five years ago. Researchers found that almost 90 percent of households in the areas studied have sustained use of a latrine that adequately confines feces, but that hygienic maintenance is relatively poor. Read More

Provisional census figures show that 31.16 per cent of the Indian population now lives in urban areas. The decadal population growth rate in urban areas was 31.8 per cent, against 12.2 per cent in rural areas. During the 10-year period, 2,800 new towns — those with populations of not less than 5,000, a majority of whom have non-farming occupations, and a population density of not less than 400 pe0ple per sq km — were added to the 5,000 or so the 2001 census had counted.

Although the eco-friendly, reusable menstrual cups are not a new invention, most women are still not unaware of their existence as an alternative to traditional feminine hygiene products. The first bell-shaped menstrual cup was patented in 1932, however due to various restrictions and social taboos concerning menstruation the word did not spread until the market of internal period products was overtaken by tampons.

Uttar Pradesh occupies the central position in northern India. It is the most populous state in the country. The state witnessed a tremendous growth in its urban population during the last three decades. Between 1971- 81 the decadal growth was about 60.62 percent, which was the highest in the country. During 1981-91 this growth had been about 38.97 percent, second after Orissa. As per 2001 Census, every fifth person in the state is residing in urban centers. The total urban population of the state has increased to 34.5 million in 2001 from just 0.09 million in 1961.

Odisha (also referred to as Orissa) has the lowest level of urbanisation (nearly 15 per cent of the state population of 37 million) amongst the major states in India. There is significant inter-district variation with Khurda district in coastal Odisha reporting an urbanisation rate of 43 per cent at one end of the spectrum and Boudh in south-central Odisha, having an urbanisation rate of only 5 per cent at the other. Urban Odisha population comprises of 13 per cent SC population (12 per cent of the state total) and eight per cent ST population (6 per cent of state total).

The status of sanitation in the state, especially in the low income settlements, is not satisfactory. As per the figures of census 2001, the urban households in the state are about 3.2 million and the urban population is about 16 million. The estimates based on national coverage studies suggest that over 1 million households in the state do not have access to toilet facilities and therefore defecate in the open. The facilities for safe disposal of solid and liquid waste are also inadequate.