Mysuru:  A one-day assessment workshop on water, sanitation and hygiene, jointly organised by the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), began at Sri Sarvepalli Radhakrishna Seminar Hall in the premises of NIE on Mysuru-Manandavadi Road here this morning. A WASH Lab under Innovation Hub for Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IHUWASH) Project and Assessment Workshop was also launched on the occasion.

Speaking after inaugurating the workshop, MCC Commissioner K.H. Jagadeesha said that the initiative is supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), the lead implementing partner.

Pointing out that Mysuru is an important educational, commercial and administrative hub of the State, he said that the city is covered under Swachh Bharat Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and it should be the goal of every citizen to ensure that the city regains the ‘Cleanest City’ tag, which it has bagged for two successive years earlier. Underlining the importance of providing civic amenities and improving infrastructure to modern day standards, he said that the workshop will focus on issues such as health, urban water and sanitation etc.

He further said that the main objectives of the workshop are to collate the WASH issues in the city by involving all stakeholders, to prioritise the issues after consultation with stakeholders and to create a WASH Forum in city.

He also pointed out that the NIUA has granted Rs.22 lakh to NIE-CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies) for conducting such workshops every month for two years, in which officials and staff from Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and all other concerned Departments will take part.

WASH Chairman at NIE, S. Shamasundar, said that the NIUA under IHUWASH project has established a WASH Hub as per a tripartite agreement between MCC-NIE-NIUA at NIE.

Pointing out that the main aim of the WASH Lab is to provide technical support for urban WASH challenges to the MCC and other cities in Karnataka State, he said that the Lab will formulate WASH Forum consisting of key stakeholder, to steer the WASH Lab activities.

Dy. Mayor M. Indira, MCC Dy. Commissioner (Development) G.S. Suresh, MCC Health Officers Dr. H. Ramachandra and Dr. D.G. Nagaraju, NIE Group of Institutions Director H.N. Ramathirtha and NIE Principal Dr. G. Ravi were present.