239 पटक हेरिएको 
Siraha : A training program for local masons on the construction of low-cost safe toilets has begun in Lahan under the municipality’s ongoing “Ghar Gharko Shan, Swachchhata Abhiyan (Pride of Every Home, Sanitation Campaign)” aimed at ensuring toilet access for every household.
According to Mayor Mahesh Chaudhary, the training is focused on practical skills and techniques for building safe toilets at minimum cost. He stated that Lahan Municipality has already developed different toilet designs suitable for households with varying economic conditions. Families can select and construct toilets based on their financial capacity.
The training is being jointly organized by Lahan Municipality, WaterAid, Dalit Janakalyan Yuwa Club (DJKYC), Nepal Drinking Water Corporation, and a technical training institute. A total of 20 local masons are participating in the program.
Mayor Chaudhary said the municipality launched the training after receiving complaints about the shortage of skilled masons during the sanitation campaign. He added that the initiative is also expected to create employment opportunities for local youths.
Although Lahan was declared an Open Defecation Free (ODF) municipality in 2017, recent sanitation status assessments, social mapping, and household surveys revealed that nearly 17 percent of families had reverted to open defecation practices.
The survey found that 3,801 households lacked toilets, while around 400 households had damaged or unusable toilets. Following these findings, the municipality launched the “Pride of Every Home, Sanitation Campaign” to restore and sustain ODF status.
The campaign aims to completely eliminate open defecation practices, promote toilet use and hygienic behavior as a matter of community identity and pride, and ensure sanitation services for Dalit, poor, landless, and vulnerable families on a priority basis.
