Islamabad, Dec 18, 2011: Despite considering the increasing water shortage as a vital issue for Pakistan, the most vocal provincial political leadership on water issues shows no sign of seriousness to tackle the tough future challenges as the irrigation bureaucracy dominates the water scene.

This has been revealed in a joint study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government after consultations with the provincial chief ministers as part of a process spearheaded by the water sector task force constituted by the Friends of Democratic Pakistan.

Dec 19, 2011: On the occasion of Human Rights Day EPSU calls for attention to the implementation of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation.

In 2010 this right was recognised in the United Nations General Assembly. Although many European countries abstained in the final vote, the right is being recognised in most of the EU. The Human Right to Water and Sanitation entitles everyone to accessible, affordable and sufficient water and sanitation that meets the international standards for quality.

The provision of sanitation services in low-income urban areas is one of the greatest challenges in development. Population growth in developing countries currently outpaces sanitation growth, especially in urban areas.

The people have been facing different kinds of deprivation and inequality in the Indian cities, according to a UNESCO study on the India urban policies.

The National Mission for Sustainable Habitat was approved by the Prime Minister's Council for Climate Change in June 2010. (Report Publication Date: 1st Nov 2011). One of the deliverables of the Mission is the formulation of National Sustainable Habitat Standards. It is intended that these standards would subsequently get integrated with relevant regulations to ensure that future developments are aligned in accordance with concerns related to climate change.

Total sanitation is a basic building block in the process of fighting health hazards and poverty. It refers to hygienic practices of collection, removal, disposal or recycling of human excreta, garbage and waste water for protecting health and well being of the people and the environment .It also affects livelihood as productive work days of earning members are lost due to their sickness or to take care of sick members of the household, thus they get trapped into the vicious cycle of poverty.

The Objectives of the City Sanitation Plan in Shimla are: To adopt a demand-based strategy and community participation in planning, implementation and management of sanitation infrastructure; To adopt locally suitable methods, technologies and materials, and provide necessary facilitation support to the Municipal Corporation; To encourage community and private participation and define their role in creation and maintenance of the sanitation infrastructure, and thereby ensure a sense of ownership; To ensure coordination between various departments working in the field of water supply and san

Results-Based Financing (RBF), which offers incentives for behavior change based on results,  has achieved practical success in both the health and education sectors. To date, however, applications of RBF in the sanitation sector have been limited.

Disaster management is the keyword today with earthquakes, tsunami, drowning or floods having a tell-tale impact on the lives of people and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation chose to impart training to members of self-help groups in the city to overcome such situations.

A new resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council at its 18th session calls on states to ensure enough financing for sustainable delivery of water and sanitation services. Passed by consensus on 28 September 2011, resolution A/HRC/RES/18/1 has taken last year’s landmark decision to recognise the right to water and sanitation as legally binding in international law, a step further.