On 29 September 2022, ENPHO with the support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and in coordination with Mahalaxmi Municipality organized a “Workshop on Construction of Standard Septic Tank, its Implementation and Monitoring System” at Everest Hotel, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu. The major objectives of the workshop are to regularize the implementation of Mahalaxmi Municipality FSM by-laws and to prioritize the monitoring mechanism of Mahalaxmi Municipality FSM by-laws effectively in the municipality. The program was chaired by Mr. Hari Gobinda Shrestha, Mayor of Mahalaxmi Municipality, Lalitpur. Mr. Chiranjibi Poudel, Acting CAO of ENPHO and Ms. Bhawana Sharma, Executive Director was resided as a guest in the program.
Mr. Rajendra Shrestha, Program Director facilitated the session about the importance of FSM within the municipality, particularly about safe containment. During his presentation, Mr. Shrestha highlighted the importance of regularizing standard septic tanks in municipality for faecal sludge management. Mr. Shrestha elaborated about the existing laws on safe containment in various municipalities including the FSM By-laws of Mahalaxmi Municipality. Furthermore, during the same workshop, Mr. Dhiraj Khadka, Engineer of Sanitation cell of Mahalaxmi Municipality elaborates about the activities on promotion of safe containment under this project. He furthermore describes the mechanism to follow the FSM by-laws through sanitation cell in the municipality.
Dr. Bhushan Raj Shrestha from Innovative Solutions Pvt. Ltd. gave a brief introduction and its features about IMIS and highlighted that this IMIS installation is first of its kind in Nepal. Dr. Shrestha, furthermore, provides a brief data sanitation situation context and use of IMIS in strategic sanitation planning and decision-making tools for authorities. Similarly, eBPS and its features were briefly discussed.
“The FSM by-laws has already been endorsed in Mahalaxmi Municipality, however, implementation of in actual field have been lack. Not only construction of septic tank is important, but its standardization is important to ensure the safe containment in sanitation value chain. I request all the ward chairperson and technical staff members of the municipality to cooperate and work as per the FSM by-laws to assess the monitoring system and ensure the quality of standard septic tank. I also would like to thank the ENPHO team for their continuous support towards Mahalaxmi Municipality and look forward to work beyond safe containment,” remarked by Mr. Hari Gobinda Shrestha, Mayor of Mahalaxmi Municipality.
Altogether, 51 people including Mayor, all ward chairperson and staff members of Mahalaxmi Municipality, representatives from Innovative Solutions and ENPHO participated in the program.
