Cooperation Counts

A BRIGHT lining has emerged in the national horizon with the declaration of the cease-fire, which has led to the end of hostilities for the time being. It has been a little over a month and half since the cessation to violence has been adhered to by both the parties. Coming in its heels has been the agreement on the code of conduct to be followed by the government as well as the Maoists. The stage as such has been set for peace process to move ahead towards materialising a lasting peace. Over the days the initiatives taken by the government has come in for praise from every quarter. Even those parties which did not participate in the all-party meeting have in their own way greeted the present steps. However, there is more to be done for peace to be entrenched in the society. In this context, Prime Minister has appealed for cooperation from everyone so that the aim of the government to establish peace in the country could become a reality. Speaking to journalists the other day, Prime Minister Chand indicated that all the major parties ought to understand what the government is doing in its bid to bring about a semblance of peace in the days to come. On the score of a wholesome, impartial and strong administrative machinery Prime Minister Chand said that the government was moving with its agenda to establish an administration that is answerable to the people. These assurances and the necessary steps being taken show the seriousness of the government in seeing that the people are able to enjoy their rights as enshrined in the Constitution. Peace alone can lead to an overall socio-economic recovery but which seemed to be missing in the past few years.
That economic issue has to receive top priority if the prosperity of the country is taken into account. In this regard, as the peace talks with the Maoists is in the offing at the earliest possible date, Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun, speaking at a programme on "Economic Agendas and the Round Table Conference", the other day, emphasised that economic issues would be one of the prime agendas of the forthcoming peace talks. A vibrant economy can flourish only in a democracy under the umbrella of peace. The realisation among all is there that peace alone can lead to the economic revival and hence so much stress on it. Now that positive indications are there, doubts, as some have expressed naively, must give way to optimism.

Arsenic-free Water

THE Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office of Dang district, as per a news item carried by this daily the other day, has traced a maximum amount of arsenic in the tube-well water of Bela VDC, ward No. 9 and Pratappur VDC, ward No. 6. Due to this inordinate amount of arsenic in the water of the tube-wells, the members of the water examination team, to safeguard the health of the local people, advised them not to use the water of those tube-wells. The recent discovery of arsenic in the waters of the tube-wells in the Dang district was not the very first. There had been reports of such discoveries by other water examination teams earlier. More particularly in the water of tube-wells in the lush, alluvial plains of the Terai and where most of the nation's tube-wells are located. Similarly, to protect the health of the local people from the ill-effects of arsenic, the concerned authorities advised them not to use arsenic-laced water for drinking and cooking purposes. Considering the fact that a majority of the people residing in the Terai region depends on tube-wells to supply them with water for their drinking, cooking and other needs, that there is an urgent need on the part of the concerned authorities to come up with solutions and schemes to avail the people with arsenic-free water supplies hardly needs any reiteration here. For arsenic, as all medical experts throughout the world readily concur, is not only very injurious to the health of all those who ingest it in even minute quantities but, through its accumulation in the bodies of all those who have had been using arsenic-laced water for a long period of time, it could even trigger deadly, if not debilitating, diseases. As such, in the absence of such schemes, especially to either rid or neutralise the arsenic in the tube-wells' water, the people of the Terai, could be forced to continue utilizing the same health-ravaging and disease-inducing water. As for the adverse consequences forthcoming from the continued use of arsenic-contained water by the people who lack alternative arsenic-free water sources and schemes, they would be not only excruciating for the unfortunate victims and their families to bear with, but also costly for the nation to shoulder in the long run.