CEE Himalaya, with support from UNICEF, conducted a one day Teacher Training Workshop on the issues of WASH, at Shriduttganj Block in Balrampur District (UP). Participants were teachers from the local government, private schools, Madrasas and Anganwadis. The issues of availability of toilet and water facilities and the overall sanitation in schools, anganwadis and households, were discussed.

Nearly 50 people participated in the meeting including the resources persons - Programme Director of CEE Himalaya Dr. Abdhesh Gangwar, Regional Sanitation Coordinator of UNICEF Mr. O.P. Mani Tripathi, Assistant Basic Shiksha Adhikari Mr. Ram Shankar, A.D.O Panchayat Mr. Gomti Prasad and Veterinary Officer Dr. B.R. Chaurasiya. Audio visuals were shown, and a workshop kit, including a cloth bag, notepad, pen, brochure, booklet, poster & IEC material developed by CEE, was distributed to the participants.

Mr. O.P. Mani Tripathi spoke of how adolescent girls were forced to quit schools as the lack of toilet facilities worsened their menstruation-related discomfort. He also raised the issue of child deaths caused by diseases occurring due to defecation in the open. Dr. B.R. Chaurasiya discussed the diseases that spread due to unhygienic practices, while Mr. Ram Shankar stated of how people were still unbending towards abandoning defecation in the open.

CEE’s intervention has led to good progress being made in achieving an open defecation-free environment in the area. Toilets are being constructed and used, even as behaviour is being inculcated.

The State Steering Committee meeting for National Green Corps was organised at Jaipur in Rajasthan. The meeting, which focused at discussing the opportunities available for strengthening the programme and the challenges in its implementation, was chaired by Mr. C.S. Ratnasamy, Secretary, Forest Department, Rajasthan.

Rajasthan State Bharat Scouts and Guide, State Nodal Agency, Rajasthan, shared the activities done during 2014, while CEE, as the State resource agency, informed about the opportunities utilised for motivating eco-clubs like Earthian 2014, Paryavaran Mitra Puraskar 2014, Green Wave Campaign, and Sustainability Education initiative. The idea of felicitating the well-performing schools at the state level, and nature experiencing programmes like camps for selected eco-clubs, was also given by the CEE team. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the State Forest Department, State Environment Department and Public Health and Engineering Department.

The CEE Balrampur team, in coordination with a Sharda Nand Huduk company from Sitapur district, organised a 7-day Hudukah activity at 13 different places in 5 gram panchayats (Chawaibujurg, Khardauri, Sahdeia, Vaibheet and Visambherpur) of Nyay Panchayat Khardauri in Balrampur. Over 3000 people gathered to watch the nukkad natak, which discussed subjects like the importance of using toilets, hand washing, solid and liquid waste management, cleanliness of the kitchen and the courtyard, and use of IM2 hand pumps for cooking and drinking purposes.

The traditional folk dance - 'Hudukah' - was used as a medium to reach out to more number of people, and spread awareness and sensitize the community towards Open Defecation and practicing WASH activities. The use of this form of tool was also an effort at reviving such traditional art forms which are dying out.

CEE Himalaya, in support with UNICEF UP, is running a WASH project titled 'Swasth, Swatch, Sundar Khardauri' in Balrampur District. The project is aimed at achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) environment in Nyay Panchayat Khardauri.

As part of CEE Himalaya’s UNICEF UP supported project ‘Swachh, Swasth, Sundar Khardauri’ in Balrampur district (UP), a three-day Masons' Training Workshop was conducted at the Block Office Khardauri in January. Mr. O.P. Mani Tripathi, Consultant, UNICEF, was the key resource person for the workshop, which aimed at training masons in the construction of user-friendly toilets. 30 masons were selected in consultation with Gram Pradhans and block officials.

The training was initiated through an orientation lecture so as to educate the masons on the correct techniques of constructing low-cost latrines, using the locally available resources. A hands-on training session was also conducted later, wherein 6 toilets were constructed by the masons.

CEE is the ENVIS centre on Environmental Education (EE). As an ENVIS centre, CEE caters to the information needs of environmental educators. Write to the CEE ENVIS Centre at [email protected]

CEE North conducted a series of 3 teachers training workshops in Bihar as part of the Ganges river dolphin - Conservation Education Programme, and with the help of the local partner NGO and the education department. The training workshop aimed at orienting teachers on the formation of dolphin clubs in their school, conducting curriculum focused classroom activities using the dolphin educational package, and organizing school level and community level awareness programmes. CEE is implementing the programme with support from the National Mission for Clean Ganga, under the National Ganga River Basin Authority. Nearly 700 schools are being reached out to through the programme.

Over 95 teachers attended the workshops, which were conducted in Muzzafarpur, Saran and East Champaran districts. Each school cluster included 30-35 schools residing close to the river bank ranging from 3-5 kilometres. The schools developed their own strategies for dolphin awareness activities.

The Prakriti Bus - a mobile exhibition depicting the biodiversity of Uttar Pradesh, and developed by CEE with support from the UP State Biodiversity Board and University of Lucknow - was taken to Unnao district in January. Dignitaries to grace the inauguration, held at the Nawabganj Bird sanctuary in Unnao, included Block Head of Nawabganj Shri Dhirandra Pratap Singh, who was the chief guest for the programme, Deputy Conservator - UP State Biodiversity Board Shri Vijay Kumar, SDO Unnao Shri Uday Veer Singh, and Regional Coordinator - CEE Mrs. Preeti R. Kanaujia.

CEE representative Mr. Neeraj K. Pal gave a brief introduction on biodiversity and spoke about the bus and its objective. Over 200 participants including school children, teachers, Gram panchayat members, Education and Forest Department Officials, and media participated in the programme.

As part of the Children's Forest Programme, CEE organized painting competitions in Lucknow and Bareilly, during which, the team conducted an orientation session through a photo story explaining the theme for the day ‘Wetlands – Save Our Future’. Eminent people from the field of biodiversity were invited to judge the competition and encourage the children. Winners were given prizes and the best entries were sent for the State-level competition.

As a precursor to the World Wetlands Day on 2nd February, painting competitions were organized in all 13 districts where the CFP programme is being implemented with support from the UP Participatory Forest Management and Poverty Alleviation Project (UP-PFMPAP) and with financial assistance from JICA. School teams from over 25-30 schools participated in the painting competition in each of the districts.

CEE, in association with Urban Management Consulting Pvt Ltd (UMCPL), Ahmedabad, provided their consultancy to the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in conducting the documentation of ‘Good Practices of Municipal/City level Solid Waste Management Practices in Indian cities. The documentation included best practices in planning, and projects and innovations in improving the quality and efficiency of solid waste management in Indian cities.

The project was a part of the PEARL (Peer Experience and Reflective Learning) initiative of the Government of India, which provides a platform for deliberation and knowledge exchange to Indian cities and towns under the JnNURM and is established under the National institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), New Delhi.

An inventory of 74 case studies was prepared from all over India. After the peer review, 11 case studies were selected to be studied in detail (6 in snapshot format while 5 in detailed) which required primary data collection, study of methodology, regulatory/institutional/financial arrangements, capacity building efforts, and technology development by conducting field visits and telephonic interviews.

The Compendium was released during a National Workshop for Sharing of Urban Good Practices documented in five themes (Water Supply and Sanitation, Solid Waste Management, Urban Transport, Urban Reforms and Cultural Heritage) held on January 20, 2015 at Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.