Removing the cables only after providing an alternative access to phone and internet services would have saved trouble for everyone

Bundles and bundles of wires and cables seen dangling from utility poles spaced every few metres in the streets of Kathmandu are an eyesore. They are a blot on the otherwise charming cityscape dotted with age-old temples and monuments framed against the snow-peaked mountains. In a bid to give the city a neater look, Kathmandu Metropolitan City is shaving off loops of wires and cables of landline telephone and internet services at different places of the capital. While the initiative to improve the city’s image is definitely welcome, one cannot rule out the disruption of telephone and internet services, which greatly inconveniences the locals. This is particularly so if the work is being carried out at a place where businesses are heavily concentrated, such as Thamel in the heart of the capital. The tourist hub is home to 6,000 businesses, ranging from hotels and restaurants to souvenir shops and massage parlours, and one can well imagine what any disruption in communication services does to their business.

It’s been more than four days since the Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC) launched the drive to make the tourist hub cleaner by removing the ugly wire and cable mesh. What it did not foresee was the problem this could cause to the local businesses. And the timing could not have been more inappropriate. The initiative was begun targeting the Visit Nepal Year 2020, which starts in less than two weeks, but Christmas and the New Year are also just round the corner when Thamel sees a lot of visitors, and the business volume goes up. Today’s tourists don’t carry much cash and all transactions are settled through digital payments, either with a debit and credit card or through Quick Response (QR) code payments. But to swipe the payment cards in a point of sales machine requires landline phone service. Hotels are  also having to face the wrath of their guests who are unable to communicate with their family members back home. The hotels as well as tour agencies are also unable to keep tab of online bookings and speak to their clients. With landline and internet service out of order already for days, the loss to businesses in Thamel could be staggering.

It is not known when the phone and internet services will be restored. There are speculations that it might take upto 10 days just to cut the wires. In today’s world, can any individual or business survive that long without communication services? The TTDC should have foreseen the problem and made arrangements so as not to disturb the local business environment. The TTDC has claimed it had held discussion with the stakeholders, including the businesses, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, the regulatory body, and internet service providers. However, the Internet Service Providers’ Association of Nepal has asserted it was not informed about the campaign, which shows lack of coordination among the different stakeholders. Removing the cables only after providing an alternative access to phone and internet services would have saved trouble for everyone. But the campaign to remove the dangling wires cannot be stopped midway now, and the only way to restore the communication links quickly is by speeding up the pace of work.

Rotavirus vaccine

The government is launching rotavirus vaccination for children below five years of age from June next year. Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhoea among children across the world. It is one of the most common illnesses among children and the major cause of childhood mortality in Nepal.

The vaccination prevents diarrhoea among children below five years of age. It will help reduce the death of children from diarrhoea, doctors at the Child Health and Immunisation Section at Family Welfare Division say. The government aims to vaccinate around 620,000 children against rotavirus in the first phase. The first dose of the vaccine should be given to a child when s/he is six months old and the next dose in ten months. It will be available in 16,000 health posts of the country. Prevalence of diarrhoea among children below five is eight per cent while six per cent below six months suffered from it. Nepal Health Sector Strategy 2016-21 targets are to reduce neonatal and under-five mortality to 17.5 and 28 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2021. The SDG targets related to neonatal and under-five mortality rate in Nepal are to reduce them to 12 and 20 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030.