This refers to your report “Manang becomes 39th open defecation free district” (THT, July 1, Online). Although toilets were built, without adequate motivation to use them, village people often continued to adhere to centuries-old practices, and abandoned the new toilets or put them to alternative uses. In fact, there is still a traditional thought that the presence of toilets in the compound makes the later impure.

Educated or uneducated, people in rural areas, for want of indoor plumbing use open space for defecating. There are some people who think that open defecation is more hygienic and having an indoor toilet is dirty and filthy.

Improving sanitation in the villages has proved to be one of the greatest development challenges. We need a grass-roots campaign on how many diseases can be avoided by basic cleanliness and how spending on toilets is as important as developing other infrastructure.

Whatever welfare measures taken so far by the government has not reached the mass fully. We don’t need to build new temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras etc. Public toilets with good water facility are the need of the hour. Most of the toilets which got started for public use are being neglected by the people due to improper maintenance. It is the matter of hygiene that can attract more people to use toilet.

Vinod C. Dixit, Ahmedabad

Workers’ woes

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara recently held a meeting with Qatar’s ambassador to Nepal Ahmed Jassim Mohamd Ali al-Hamar at the former’s office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, Minister Mahara expressed the government’s concerns about security of Nepalese migrant workers hired by Qatari companies which have their bases in other Gulf countries. Right now the Gulf countries are reeling under crisis for the fact some powerful Muslim countries in the Middle East, Africa well as Asia have cut off relations with Qatar, including land to air connectivity. Mahara also asked for safety and security of the Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar where prices of daily commodities have surged due to shortage of food supply as a result of blockade imposed by seven Muslim countries.

Whether Qatar will be able to provide safety to those workers will be seen in the days to come but the Nepal government must be able to find alternatives to Qatar employment. More than half a million Nepali people are working in the oil-rich tiny country mostly in construction sector which is full of hazards and danger and payment of salary for the workers have been delayed by the hiring companies due to the blockade.

The government must also make preparations for the evacuation of those workers if adverse situation arises there. Nepal must be in touch with the Qatari government receiving daily updates of the unfolding events when tension has still remained unabated.

Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar