Hetauda Municipality has initiated efforts for the integral implementation of all development activities including construction of new infrastructures, environment improvement, poverty reduction and economic uplifting for the sustainable development of municipal area.
Chief Executive Officer of Hetauda Municipality Bharat Bahadur Dhungana had shared this information while speaking at a stakeholder sharing workshop held in Hetauda. The workshop had been organized by Hetauda Municipality with support of UN Habitat Water for Asian Cities Programme Nepal. He further stated that water and sanitation improvement activities, and skill development trainings have also been conducted in addition to environment improvement activities in the poor communities of this municipality. He also informed that the municipality is planning to integrate its internal resources combined with the external resources to achieve sustainable development in Hetauda Municipality.

At the workshop, Upendra Baral, an Advisor of the UEIP informed that a bus park, systematic abattoir, vegetable market and public toilet have been constructed to utilize the municipal resource and improve the environmental condition. According to him, the project have also laid pipelines to increase access to drinking water. Similarly, a wastewater treatment plant along with sewer lines is being constructed in the municipality, he added.

Chief Technical Advisor of UNHABITAT South Asia Region Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha said that all communities and areas in the municipality need to be uplifted in various aspects to develop the municipality in real.

Representative of UDLE/GTZ Vijaya Rajbaidhya expressed her pleasure to have an opportunity to collaborate in the development activities initiated by the municipality. She also informed that similar activities have also been initiated in another 21 municipalities in cooperation with correspondent municipalities to reduce poverty.

Hetauda Municipality is implementing various development activities in co-operation with Urban Environment Improvement Project (UEIP), UN Habitat, UDLE/ GTZ and local community.

A Water Management Board has been formed in the Municipality, which will initiate supplying drinking water to the Hetauda Municipality as soon as the Nepal Water Supply Corporation handover the responsibility of drinking water management to the board. Currently, the municipality with support of UN Habitat has established community level water supply systems at various urban communities particularly Kalyantar, Nawalpur and Rai Tole in Hetauda municipality. The project taps water from spring and deep boring to supply in these communities. Similarly, rainwater is being harvested in Bhairav Danda, a village located at remote hilly region of Hetauda, to overcome the problem of water shortage.

In addition to constructing toilets and sewer lines, the municipality has been improving road and walkway along the poor communities to bring about the environment improvement in these communities. The municipality has already constructed 509 toilets including 220 toilets with bio-gas plant. A public toilet has also been constructed in China Quarter under the initiation of the Municipality with support of UN Habitat.

The municipality has also initiated a revolving fund to provide the loan for toilet construction in these poor communities. Apart from toilet construction, the inhabitants of these communities have also invested their loan in various income generating activities such as agriculture, livestock rearing and small scale business.

Mr. Druba Bhujel, Social Welfare Officer at Hetauda Municipality told that they have targeted to declare the municipal area as open defecation free zone by 2010 AD. Hence, they are conducting various awareness raising activities in Hetauda. He further explained that they have implemented community and school led total sanitation approaches in several communities for this purpose. These initiatives have helped to bring the behavioural change in the inhabitants, and increased the use of toilet in the project covered communities.
The municipality is also providing trainings on composting in the municipality, and has constructed a compost plant as well for the proper solid waste management. Incinerator has been constructed in the Hetauda District Hospital to destroy the hospital waste.