Kathmandu, March 3:

A joint collaboration of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and Coca-Cola, India, to improve water and sanitation programmes in five municipalities of the country is set to begin on March 9.

The collaboration is going to be launched in Nepal for the first time after the April 2007 agreement between the UN-HABITAT and Coca-Cola, India, to collaborate on improving access of people of Nepal and India to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.

Dr Rosan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor of UN-HABITAT, said the programme will be launched in Hetauda, Bharatpur, Butwal, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi municipalities.

The programme aims at promoting point-of-use treatment of water, re-treatment of drinking water at the time of consumption to prevent health risks, and capacity building of the people to have access to safe drinking water.

ENPHO is the implementing partner of the programme.