About 20 per cent community schools across the country lack toilets despite the government claim that it has achieved 53 per cent of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target in sanitation.

There are 28,000 community schools in the country, of them, 80 per cent have toilet facilities. However, only 65 per cent have separate toilets for boys and girls, according to the 2011 Census.

As per the MDGs, the government has set itself the target of providing toilet facilities to 53 per cent households by 2015, however, officials at the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) say 62 per cent households already have toilets.

According to the Census report, of the total 5,423,297 households in the country, 72 per cent have telephone, while only 62 per cent households have toilet.

The western development region has the highest number of toilets (73 per cent), followed by 47 per cent in the far-west development region, 49 per cent in the Tarai, 75 per cent in the hills, 60 per cent in the himalayan region, 55 per cent in rural areas and 91 per cent in urban areas.

Though Kaski, Chitwan, Tanahu, Myagdi, Parbat, Pyuthan and Achham districts, 783 VDCs, seven municipalities and many schools have been declared open defecation free zones, only about 20 per cent households in Siraha and Saptari have toilets.

The government has pledged to provide sanitation to 100 per cent households by 2017.“Apart from Rs 3.5 billion annual budget for the sector, we need additional around Rs 7 billion budget” said Kishor Thapa, secretary at MoUD.

Nepal holds the fifth position for sanitation among the eight South Asian countries. In line with meeting the 100 per cent sanitation target by 2017, a two-day Nepal Conference on Sanitation will be held tomorrow. Sanitation Conference of South Asian Nations is also being held in November.

source: the himalayan times,13 may 2013