Zone Of Peace

PRIME Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has called upon the teachers to have faith in democratic practice and sit for dialogue to resolve the problems in the academic sector. Receiving a memorandum from the agitating teachers of private and boarding schools in Kathmandu Thursday, Prime Minister Koirala said that problems can be solved through dialogue in a democracy and called upon the teachers and others to follow democratic and civic practices. The remarks and request of the Prime Minster carry special significance at a time when the private and boarding schools have been closed due to the agitation of the teachers. The teachers in the private and boarding schools have launched the agitation demanding salary and other facilities at par with the teachers in the government schools. In response to the demand of the teachers and staff, owners of the private boarding schools had also threatened to shut down the schools as some of the private schools were not able to meet all the demands put forth by the teachers and other staff. As the owners and the teachers locked horn on some issues, the schools were closed from Thursday, which has made the future of the hundreds of thousands students uncertain. The owners and management also need to give serious attention to the just demands of the teachers in private schools.

However, teachers also need to demonstrate civic sense and behavour. Activities like pressure tactics, protests and school closure do not suit teachers. Moreover, no one has the right to play with the future of students. Teachers should be more responsible and sensitive towards the future of students. So they need to return to work and simultaneously initiate dialogue for resolving their problems. This is the right approach. Similarly, the government also needs to intervene and solve the problem as early as possible. Although the private sector has played a very important role in the development of education in Nepal, there are complaints about the exploitation of teachers in some schools. The government has failed to properly monitor the private schools and make sure that schools provided reasonable salary and facilities to the teachers and other staff. Most of the private schools charge exorbitant fees to students but provide little facilities to the teachers and students. So the government needs to intervene here. It is urgent that all the sectors, as observed by Prime Minister Koirala, demonstrated a civic culture and behavour in order to solve the problems in the academic sector and ensure peace in the schools.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 19, 2007

IT For Development

Information technology (IT) is the most important gift of science of the 20th century to humankind. This technology has brought in unprecedented comforts to the people by changing the world into a global village. Anyone with access to IT facilities can know what is happening in any part of the world within a few minutes no matter where he or she is living. You can listen to the sounds and watch images of any incident in front of a screen in your room. And if you happen to miss any of the programmes, you can watch them by just logging onto the Internet at any time. Indeed, Internet services have added further comfort to the people in the recent decades - you can send and receive messages from anyone from any part of the globe within seconds. Nepalese, too, have taken tremendous advantage from the boom in the IT sector. However, these facilities are confined mostly in the urban areas, and the people living in the villages are yet to take much benefit from it. Though we also made a tremendous progress in the field of information and communications, especially after the political change of 1990, they are still not enough, considering the population deprived of telephone and Internet facilities.

Before the change of 1990, many of the district headquarters even lacked telephone services. Today almost all the district headquarters and small bazaars have telephone services, although in some districts the services were disrupted when the insurgents damaged the communications towers during the decade-long violence. Today many people living in the district headquarters and nearby villages use mobile phones. In a least developed country like Nepal where more than 80 per cent people still lack access to electricity, expanding Internet services in the villages is not feasible. However, the villages could be connected through telephone services. The government has shown its seriousness in this regard. In a message delivered on the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day Thursday, Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara hinted that the government was preparing to extend telecommunication services to the villages within the next fiscal year. Certainly, the development of the IT sector is a must for the overall development of a nation, and the government has been giving top priority to its development. However, efforts of the government alone will not be sufficient in the proper development of the sector unless the people as well as other concerned stakeholders support the government in its endevour. Hope World IT Day will inspire all to work for the development and expansion of IT services in the villages.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 19, 2007

Global Warming And South Asia

Dr. Trilochan Upreti

GLOBAL warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth and the oceans in recent times, and in the future. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) and water vapour are called green house gases, which are collected in the atmosphere like a blanket trapping the sun's heat that is radiated off the earth's surface. These gases have been contributing factors to global warming over the past 50 years, during which the average global temperature is said to have increased at the fastest rate recorded in history and is expected to keep increasing at a rate of up to 2 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years. This would eventually lead to a rise in the sea levels that will inundate the low lying coastal belts, even leading to many smaller islands being totally submerged. InundationThe Maldives will disappear along with many island nations; one third of Bangladesh will be under water and, likewise, low lying belts of many coastal states would also be inundated. Consequently, there would be other disastrous effects. For example, there would be frequent incidents of extreme weather conditions like floods, heat waves, droughts and hurricanes that would trigger natural calamities, making human life more difficult than ever.

There have been no dearth of scientists and politicians who maintained that global warming is part of a natural process that occurs due to non-human causes like solar activity, volcanic emissions and so on. However, after the landmark report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose drafting was marked by an angry row, the argument blaming nature for global warming has lost its trust and credibility, and the world community has unanimously blamed human intervention for the issues. This is an interesting shift in the mind-set of the global community concerning the issue.The IPCC has strongly suggested that countries ought to adopt strategies to mitigate global warming through measures such as energy conservation and shifting to renewable sources of energy to displace carbon fuels and, thus, reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. As a result of such concern, the Kyoto Protocol was drawn up. The protocol is an agreement made under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. By 2006, 169 countries, responsible for 61.6% of emissions, have ratified it except the USA and Australia.

The USA, which is the largest economy of the world and contributes 25% of the global emission, has not ratified the Convention arguing that allowing unfettered emission levels to countries like India and China is unacceptable and that the USA has adopted effective measures for combatting global warming issues on its own. Whereas the developing countries are directly blaming the developed countries for the global warming, they are also maintaining that they first need to develop their own economy, a process which would be hampered by compliance with the instrument at this juncture in time. Those responsible for the irreparable damage due to climate change and problems associated with it should reverse the impacts through their own effort. Thus, global warming has remained a threat to the existence of the earth and its inhabitants, including the flora and fauna.The IPCC report predicts that billions of people will face water scarcity and hundreds of millions will likely go hungry, mainly in the poorest regions least to blame for spewing the fossil fuel pollution that is driving up temperatures. Likewise, glacier meltdown and ice sheet erosion will accelerate, which would impact the sea levels, causing devastating impacts on the coastal states. Similarly, upto 30 per cent of the planet's plants and animal species will become extinct, if temperatures rise by 1.50C to 2.50C.

The poorest regions and continents will suffer the most - tropical countries, African continent and the SAARC region. That means the melting of glaciers and Himalaya in Nepal would adversely affect the entire SAARC region and its weather pattern, causing abnormal drought and floods, which will contribute to the scourge of famine upon one billion people. One third of Bangladesh and huge swathes of Indian coastal territory would be inundated, inviting extraordinary problems of human survival in the entire South Asian region. Numerous problems not yet identified would emerge, leaving no space for easy resolution. These nations are already witnessing huge problems for their economic development, and tackling the issues of poverty will have to confront additional formidable problems. Eventually, it would invite inconceivable conflicts amongst communities, states and nations making it extremely difficult to find a point of resolution.One must study its impact at the national level by recalling that many bridges and one hydropower plant were washed away when one glacial lake caused by a retreating Himalayan glacier in Solokhumbu district burst a few years ago.

What would be the effect when glacial retreat and melting of the Himalayan peaks occur at the same time? We have huge human settlements near the banks of rivers, and most of the fertile lands in the hills lie on the banks of rivers. When such catastrophes occur, it will wash away people and inundate and fill up adjoining agricultural lands with sand and boulders.No one can even predict the magnitude of its implication for India and Bangladesh, where huge devastations and disasters will wash away millions of people and waste millions hectares of agricultural land. Towns and cities will be transformed into graveyards. Clean hydropower should be developed and used by the needy countries by adopting an equitable sharing of the benefits of the immense water resources of the region. In this context, this time could be the best for resolving every outstanding issue on sharing and utilising the huge water resources in the SAARC region by addressing the past grievances and also accommodating the future needs of all nations on an equal and equitable basis. Blame gameRather than blaming each other, the developed and developing countries like China, India and Brazil should comply with the provision of the Kyoto protocol by involving themselves in the resolution of the problem and making space to exist for future generations. The developed nations should assist them wholeheartedly for obtaining this global objective.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 17, 2007

Running Local Bodies

THE local bodies have been without elected representatives for years. As a result, people have been facing tremendous problems. The civil servants are now running the local bodies, which is not in line with democratic practices and the concept of decentralised governance. After the success of Jana Andolan II and restoration of democracy, an all-party democratic government was formed at the centre. People had thought alternative measures would be taken to run the local bodies. However, no decision has been taken to run the local bodies. In the absence of people's representatives, some major development-related decisions have not been taken. It is obvious that civil servants often hesitate to take any bold decision at the local level. Thus, local development activities have been affected. Against this background, the political parties, civil society and local people have been demanding that some alternative arrangement be made to run the local bodies. Since an all-party government is functioning at the centre, a similar exercise can be carried out at the local level as well. Local self-governance enhances democracy at the grassroots, as it empowers people to take decisions for their needs.

Local bodies function vibrantly in a democracy. The local bodies not only cater to the needs of the people but also act as a genuine agent for development at the grassroots level. In the absence of local authorities, the people's problems cannot be addressed. The best alternative is to hold election to the local bodies. But in the present context, election to the local bodies does not seem possible as the country is making preparations for the election to a constituent assembly. The election to the local bodies can be held only after the constituent assembly writes a new constitution. The election to a constituent assembly and writing a new constitution will, however, take a long time. Thus, election to the local bodies may not be possible in the next couple of years. It is not good to keep the local bodies without people's representatives for years. Thus, alternative arrangements must be made to run the local bodies by the people's representatives. For this, the eight parties need to discuss seriously and arrive at a common ground for running the local bodies. Since it is the issue of the people, the political parties must not think which party gains and which party loses. They should decide taking into account the overall interest of the people and the nation. This is the spirit of a democratic and coalition culture.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 18, 2007

Eye of the needle

The Melamchi drinking water project, much touted to meet the needs of the water-deficit Kathmandu Valley, has been pending for nearly two decades for one reason or another, though a pretty sum, Rs. 4 billion, has already been spent in its name. The management of water distribution in the Valley was to be awarded to a foreign firm, Severn Trent Water International (ST), the only bidder for the contract. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the main financier of the country’s biggest drinking water project, attached the loan conditionality that the Valley’s water distribution be transferred to ST, a controversial firm said to have an unsatisfactory record of performance in other countries. But the CPN-Maoist’s entry into the newly formed interim government, with the ministry concerned headed by its representative, seems to have upset the original plans.

Minister Hisila Yami has let pass the May 15 deadline ST gave the government to sign a contract with it, otherwise threatening to opt out. With the minister having second thoughts about allowing a foreign firm to manage the distribution, ADB’s loan pledge of $120 million for the project is now in serious jeopardy. ADB has threatened to end its commitment if ST does not get the contract. But Yami is reported as saying that its pullout would throw open new possibilities. The fees for the management contract, which ADB is supposed to pay ST, would stand at $8.5 million for a six-year term. The minister says she wants to go over the ST contract afresh before deciding.

Some argue that the government could not run the Valley’s water distribution satisfactorily from 1990 to 1999 despite the infusion of $100 million worth of aid, loan and technical support. ADB thought Nepal needed foreign expertise. ADB’s loan would go into the construction of the project’s costliest component — the 26.5-km diversion tunnel linking the Melamchi River in Sindhupalchok district to Sundarijal in Kathmandu — as well as into improving the Valley’s bulk distribution system. According to the state-owned Nepal Water Supply Corporation’s estimate, water waste through leakage alone stands at 40 per cent of the total supply. But the very premise that the problems of water management are one of lack of expertise is deeply flawed. It is rather one of intention, of accountability, of failure to crack down on corruption. The government agencies, including ministries and departments, and public sector undertakings face similar problems, as anybody with some familiarity with this area in Nepal would know. If one were to accept the foreign-expertise contention, one would also have to accept that many other donor-funded projects and programmes are in need of the same shock treatment. Strangely, little attention has been paid to the optimum utilisation of the available water and the existing water sources, and all attention seems to have been concentrated on mega projects costing many billions of dollars. One wonders if this has no deeper meaning and a better management of the current supply alone would not relieve the problem significantly.

Source: The Himalayan Times, May 18, 2007