Department Of Water And Sanitation Nepal, The Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS), established in 1972, is the lead agency for the drinking water supply and sanitation sector of Nepal. It is working towards achieving the sector objective of the Government of Nepal which is to achieve ‘sustained improvement in health status and productivity for Nepalese people as a whole with particular emphasis on lower income group through the provision of adequate, locally sustainable water supply and sanitation facilities in association with improved personal, household and community hygiene behavior’.
DWSS is acting as the lead government department to achieve this target with the following broad objectives:
1. Provide and ensure safe, convenient, and adequate water supply to all Nepalese, with sanitation as an integral component, and with a specific focus on disadvantaged groups;
2. Reduce the incidence of water-related dieses prevalent in the country; and
3. Reduce suffering and drudgery of women and children, traditionally responsible for collecting water and domestic sanitation and hygiene.
(Source: Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector policy, 2004)
Organization Structure
DWSS is headed by a Director-General who is supported by two Deputy Director Generals. In addition to the financial management and administration sections, there are the following ten technical divisions in the department each headed by a senior divisional engineer.
– Drinking-Water Quality Improvement and Monitoring
– Human Resources Development
– National management information
– Sewerage Development and Management
– Environmental Sanitation and Disaster Management
– Progress monitoring evaluation and design
– Foreign Assistance Coordination and Planning
– Appropriate Technology and Rainwater Harvesting
– Electro Mechanical and Repair Maintenance
– NGO and Community mobilization
DWSS has its divisional (or sub-divisional) offices in all the 75 districts of the country. These divisional offices are staffed with a water supply and sanitation engineers, sub engineers, technicians, women workers, and supporting administrative and account staff. These divisional offices support the users committees in implementing the government’s water supply and sanitation program. Besides working as the member secretary of the district water resources committee, which approves registration of users committee, water source, and permission for carrying out the feasibility study, the divisions also have the mandate of coordinating the district level activities of other agencies working in the sector. The work of the division offices is directed, supervised, and monitored by the Regional Monitoring and Supervision Office, one in each of the five regions, each headed by a Regional Director.
Projects
- Water Supply Management Improvement Project (WASMIP)
- Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project
- Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project
- District wise projects
For more detail: Log on http://www.dwss.gov.np