The Intellectuals Centre and Athena Infonomics conducted a two-day training on City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) planning in Nepal, focusing on equitable and scenario-based approaches using the EquiServe decision-support tool. Held in October 2024, the workshop brought together municipal officials from Kirtipur and Banepa, including the Mayor of Banepa, NWASH, the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Management (DWSSM), UN-Habitat/CWISAN, the Society for Public Health Engineers Nepal (SOPHEN), and other civil society organizations to address challenges in implementing sustainable sanitation services across Nepal's municipalities. The training aimed to shift local governance from infrastructure-focused planning to service delivery approaches while incorporating climate resilience and affordability considerations in alignment with SDG 6.2 goals.

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The case of Banepa Municipality highlighted infrastructure challenges by practically comparing and contrasting infrastructure and service delivery (centralized vs. decentralized, municipal-operated vs. community-operated) that work in the hill region context.

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The workshop outcomes revealed both opportunities and limitations in implementing CWIS approaches at the municipal level. While participants expressed interest in data-driven decision-making tools and climate-resilient planning, the sessions identified gaps in municipal capacity for data collection and digital tool adoption.

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Moving forward, stakeholders recommended developing simplified training tools, leveraging existing NWASH data, strengthening municipal capacity through technical assistance, and working closely with local agencies for planning using EquiServe.

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Watch the video for more glimpses from the workshop!

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