The government has unveiled a master plan on sanitation to provide basic sanitation facility such as toilets by 2017 to all.
"About 57 per cent of total households in Nepal do not have an access to a toilet," says Ramdeep Saha, the Chief of Department of Environmental Sanitation and Natural Disaster Management. "They use public zones like streams, rivers and forest areas for defecation and urination."
The government, in coordination with other organisations, has been operating sanitation programmes in two districts, 232 VDCs, four municipalities, one sub-metropolis and many communities.
So far, two districts- Kaski and Chitwan-have been declared as open–defecation frees zones. Through the Plan, the government has set a target of establishing a Community Fund to promote the camapaign for sanitation and against open defecation.
The Plan has stressed the need to develop the culture of hand washing and other health-related habits among the people.
As per the provision mentioned in the Master Plan, any area to be declared as a zone free from open defecation, and best performers ( individuals, public and private organisations, media, schools) related to the sanitation sector will be honoured by the head of state every year.