With the objective of encouraging families, particularly mothers, to treat their household drinking water and protect themselves and their loved ones against illness from contaminated drinking water, the government, supported by USAID, UNICEF, NGO partners and the private sector, are joining hands to promote the campaign.

Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Hisila Yami is launching the public-private partnership ‘Point of Use’ household drinking water treatment promotion campaign on April 23.

About 150 participants representing the Government, development agencies, donors, the private sector and the media are expected to attend the launch.

“Approximately 35 Nepali children die every day because of diarrhoeal diseases. One of the main causes of this is unsafe or contaminated drinking water,” said Yami, on the eve of the launch.

“This is a very good initiative and we seek the cooperation of all our partners to support this noble endeavour.” World Health Organisation (WHO) states that diarrhoea is the most significant disease associated with unsafe water, sanitation and minimal hygiene. This causes the deaths of an estimated 1.8 million children worldwide every year.

“These are lives that could have been saved if families were able to provide safe drinking water and better hygiene to those children,” said Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF Representative.

The ‘Point of Use’ household drinking water treatment campaign urges families to ensure safe storage and treatment of drinking water at home to reduce diarrhoea and water-borne diseases.

“There is a general misconception amongst the general public that if the water looks clean, it is safe, and that is why we need to raise awareness about the risks of drinking water without treating it first,” said Mellsop.

“The other misconception is that the cost of treating drinking water is high,” said Mellsop. “However, the financial cost of treating drinking water and improving sanitation for children far outweigh the human cost in terms of the lives that can be saved, and the overall health and well being of children and women.”

A WHO study in South and Southeast Asia estimates that an investment of Rs 100 in water supply and sanitation provides a return of Rs 280 in terms of health, treatment costs and individual productivity.