The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday said it completed renovations in Kathmandu Central Jail and Nawalparasi District Jail undertaken in cooperation with the prison authorities to improve the living conditions of detainees.

Issuing a press release, the ICRC said it will officially hand over the completed work to Bhola Prasad Shivakoti, director-general of prison management on 17 December, and Pradeep Jyoti Shrestha, Nawalparasi district jailor, in Nawalparasi on 18 December.

In Kathmandu Central Jail, upgrades to the water network, including the installation of pumps and tanks, have greatly improved access to water for detainees, ICRC said, adding that it has also provided training to ensure proper maintenance.

In Nawalparasi District Jail, the water storage capacity has been increased and improvements have been made to kitchen and dining facilities.

The ICRC carried out the work in cooperation with the Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office.

“The authorities’ active participation in this project demonstrates their concern for detainee living conditions and their determination to take action,” said Mary Werntz, head of the ICRC delegation in Kathmandu.”Greater government involvement is essential since it is only the authorities who can ensure humane conditions of detention for all inmates in Nepal.” She added that the ICRC will gradually scale back its assistance to detention facilities in 2009.

In 2008 the ICRC completed six renovation projects in detention facilities across Nepal. nepalnews.com Dec 17 08