Across Asia: Nepal

Toilet Day spotlights woes

Around 10,500 children below five years of age are dying annually of diseases caused by inadequate access to sanitation. Marking World Toilet Day yesterday, Nepal's health ministry and related organizations appealed for proper use of and increased access to toilets. "Fifty-one percent of Nepalese defecate openly," the newspaper The Rising Nepal cited the national planning commission as saying, adding that only 41 percent of government schools have toilets.