Dhankuta, December 25

The Regional Monitoring and Supervision Office, Dhankuta, is preparing to declare the eastern region an open defecation free zone by January, 2018.

The region was supposed to be declared open defecation free zone by 2017, but the objective could not be achieved within the deadline owing to various reasons.

According to the regional monitoring and supervision office, out of the 16 eastern districts, eight have been declared open defecation free zone till now, in the region. Districts that have so far been declared open defecation free zone include Panchthar, Ilam, Taplejung, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Udayapur, Okhaldhunga, and Khotang.

The office also  said that the programme could not meet its deadline due to poor campaigning in the districts of eastern Tarai.

Final preparations are under way to declare Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur and Solukhumbu districts open defecation free zone. Jaysawal said that the

campaign had been expedited to declare Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari and Siraha districts ODF zone as soon as possible.

Coordinator at the Monitoring and Supervision Regional Office Dhankuta Mohan Dhital said that the campaign was facing many problems in municipalities and rural municipalities where relatively more educated people resided.

According to Dhital, around 32,000 toilets in Jhapa, 40,000 in Morang, 1,500 in Sunsari are yet to be constructed. Ninety-two per cent households in Saptari have toilets, while 90 per cent households have toilets in Siraha.

“Party cadres, teachers, government employees and civil society leaders are among the ones who are reluctant to build toilets,” Dhital added.