Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said her government would soon provide better sewer facilities to about 200 villages in the Capital. Dikshit, who is also the Chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), said the jal board would build 58 underground reservoirs, including 28 in east Delhi, in the Capital by 2009. The Chief Minister, who was laying the foundation stone for a 58 lakh litre capacity underground reservoir at Narela in west Delhi, said the DJB has commissioned a city-wide study, which has created a workable model to commission 109 reservoirs by 2011. "The total cost of construction of the reservoir is about Rs 782 lakh and this work is likely to be completed in 12 months. The reservoirs will improve availability and ensure pressure of water in various parts of Delhi,' Dikshit said. The reservoir would get water from Ranney wells and tube wells at Palla, jal board officials said. After this reservoir is commissioned, about 1.15 lakh people will benefit with augmented water supply at adequate pressure in Singhola, Singhu, Hamidpur, Bankuli and Khampur, the officials said. "At least 25 underground reservoirs need to be built at various locations to rationalise the distribution of water in north, west, north-west, south-west and central Delhi. The DJB has already approved a scheme at an approximate cost of Rs 263 crore to construct 14 underground reservoirs and Booster Pumping Stations (BPS) at various locations in the Capital,' Dikshit said. East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, local MLA Charan Singh Kandera, Councillor Sharad Chauhan, CEO (DJB) Arun Mathur were also present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

"Why do those people need toilets?

A group of 53 sanitation and hygiene promotion practitioners met in Bangladesh from 29 to 31 January 2008 to mark the start of the International Year of Sanitation (IYS) by sharing and learning from their peers.

Chandigarh, February 12 The Haryana Health Department has operationalised 5,086 village health sanitation committees (VHSC) to bridge the gap between demand and supply of quality and timely health care services and strengthen decentralised health planning. Haryana Commissioner and Secretary, Health, Navraj Sandhu said these committees have been operationalised by giving a grant of Rs 10,000 each. The bank account of each such committee is being operated jointly by the sarpanch and accredited social health activist (ASHA) or anganwari worker (AWW), she added.

A cholera outbreak has ravaged Orissa's tribal-dominated Kalahandi, Koraput and Rayagada districts since early August. The state government says the region has reported 119 deaths so far. About

A unique

A rural area of western Rajasthan was surveyed for diarrhoeal disease. The objective of this study was to carry out analysis of domestic water use and environmental health.

The Total Sanitation Campaign was launched in 1999, advocating a shift from a high to a low subsidy regime, and greater community involvement.

Women & Sanitation

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has resigned. She s ended, as a newspaper put it, her third honeymoon with the Bharatiya Janata Party, a coalition partner. It is being said the Taj corridor stink is partly responsible for this fresh round of polit

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