Monitoring Conducted to Assess Full Sanitation Status of Schools

Humla, Baisakh 21 — A sanitation monitoring visit was conducted in two schools located in Ward No. 5 and 6 of Simkot Rural Municipality to evaluate the current hygiene and cleanliness conditions. Although the district was declared an Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone two years ago as the 43rd district of Nepal, the visit aimed to understand how well this has been sustained in schools.

The monitoring was carried out at Bhimsain Basic School in Ward No. 5 and Kalashilta Basic School in Ward No. 6 on Saturday. The initiative is part of a broader program run in seven primary, lower secondary, and secondary schools of Simkot, focusing on achieving full sanitation standards.

The program is supported financially by UNICEF and Chay-Ya Nepal, and technically implemented by Snowland Integrated Development Center (SIDC), which has long been active in the sanitation sector in Humla. According to Padam Bahadur Lama, Chairperson of Simkot Rural Municipality, the monitoring showed significant improvement in the sanitation status of the schools. He added that proper management of toilets and drinking water facilities has contributed greatly to progress toward full sanitation.

Govinda Shahi, Executive Director of Snowland Integrated Development Center, stated that the monitoring was done after launching drinking water and toilet renovation projects in Bhimsain and Kalashilta schools. In addition, support has also been extended to other schools in the municipality:

NPR 300,000 was provided for infrastructure improvements at Bhimsain, Kalashilta, and Raling Secondary Schools,

NPR 75,000 was provided for toilet and water facility maintenance at Balbikas, Panchamukhi, Mahakal, and Siddhartha Lower Secondary Schools.

The monitoring team included Simkot Rural Municipality Chairperson Padam Bahadur Lama, Vice Chairperson Bali Rawat, Ward No. 5 Chairperson Krishna Bohora, Ward No. 6 Chairperson Jaychandra Rokaya, Social Development Section Chief Jang Rokaya, and local journalists.

Radiokailash