DWSS is the lead agency responsible for the provision of water supply and sanitation services in Nepal. It has about 1800 employee working in different parts of the country. Despite the rapid increase in water supply and sanitation coverage in last ten years, still about 20% of people lack safe water supply and 70% of people do not have access to basic sanitation services. Water quality has been given little attention in the past, as the major drive was to provide the access to sufficient quantity of water.

Surface water quality often varies seasonally and water-borne diseases are common phenomenon during the summer months and rainy seasons. Very often water from groundwater and surface water sources is supplied directly to the distribution system without treatment or with only disinfection. Furthermore, large umbers of emerging small towns need special attention to provide water supply and sanitation services. In this context, DWSS Nepal requested NUFFIC for a specialized professional training for its staff on different aspects of water supply and sanitation. UNESCO-IHE and its partners received a grant from NUFFIC to conduct this special 12 week tailor-made training course on water supply and sanitation for 20 engineers of DWSS.

This project improved the existing practices of planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructures of DWSS Nepal. This was accomplished through a two part training held in Nepal and in the Netherlands.

This training strengthened and built the capacity of DWSS in achieving its objective and mission of provide safe water and adequate sanitation to the people of the kingdom of Nepal. The knowledge and skills gained during this training can be transferred to water users committees, NGOs and local bodies, thus building the capacity of water sector in Nepal in general. Main outputs of this special tailor-made training include:

• 20 Engineers of DWSS have state of the art knowledge on different aspects of water supply and sanitation

• 20 Engineers of DWSS have acquired skills in designing water supply and sanitation facilities to suit the local requirements

• Sharing of the experience with fellow participants and water supply and sanitation sector professionals in Nepal and in The Netherlands.

The training program consisted of two main parts conducted in Nepal and in the Netherlands. The first part of the training was 3 weeks long and included a review of water supply and sanitation issues and policies in Nepal, current water supply and sanitation practices and some aspects of groundwater, surface water treatment and water transport and distribution. UNESCO-IHE professionals with wide-experience in education, research and training, provided on-site training on these aspects in Katmandu.

Additionally, there were some special lectures from local resource organization Development Network Nepal and some local persons to bring to the attention of the participants the existing plans and policies, national water supply and sanitation, Millennium Development Goals and progress to date, and some case studies of completed and ongoing water supply and sanitation projects in Nepal.

The second part of the training was conducted at UNESCO-IHE. This included lectures, workshops, design exercises, computer exercises and laboratory courses and covered subjects like advanced water quality and treatment, water transport and distribution, wastewater treatment processes and plants, advanced water treatment processes, ecological sanitation and water services management.

Experts from the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) and other water companies and research institutions were invited to give the guest lectures on different subjects. Furthermore, several excursions/visits were organized to water and wastewater treatment plants and consulting firms or research organizations in The Netherlands.

This project was highly successful and was able to meet its short term objectives. The participants highly appreciated both parts of the training, which was clearly reflected in the summaries of the evaluations forms.

It is expected that this training will help DWSS in improving the existing practices of planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructures. Furthermore, as the knowledge and skills gained by the participants is very relevant and directly applicable during their practice, it is expected that the training will contribute significantly to strengthen and build the capacity of DWSS in achieving its objective and mission to provide safe water and adequate sanitation to the people of Nepal.

Knowledge gained through lectures, workshops, design exercises and case studies on different innovative technical and management options for the provision of water supply and sanitation services could be directly applied in small towns and peri-urban areas that will help to improve the situation in large number of existing and emerging small-towns in Nepal. In the longer term, this training will help DWSS in improving the existing practices of planning, design, implementation and operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructure.

The participants of the training were from different divisional offices of DWSS located in different parts of the country; they are now back in their respective offices where they can apply the knowledge and skills gained during the training in their day to day practice. The participants of the training were also advised to contact IHE academic staff member of advice and consultations in future, if required. Furthermore, in addition to printed copies, the electronic copies of the training materials have been provided to the participants, which DWSS can use for future activities. These participants could also become trainers for other engineers and water supply and sanitation sector agencies in Nepal. In general, this training has contributed to human resource development of DWSS, and consequently to water and sanitation sector capacity building in Nepal.