WORLD WATER DAY
Empty Taps
At a time when Nepal celebrates World Water Day, Kathmandu valley continues to suffer from severe crisis of drinking water. Along with the cost of drinking water, depleting water level in the valley is causing a great concern as drinking water is gradually becoming a scarce commodity. While the country’s political leadership is busy holding debates and discussions on politics all the time, nobody seems bothered about water issues
By KESHAB POUDEL
Seventy-five-years old Janaki Karki, a resident of Imadol, Lalitpur, had never imagined that one day she will have to pay money to buy drinking water. It is believed in Nepali culture that offering drinking water to thirsty people is a virtue. There was a time when water was abundant nearby her house. From wells to stone spouts, water was everywhere.
In the past, many people even spent money to build water spouts and wells so that people can drink water. They did so in a philanthropic manner. As water level has now depleted, it is beyond imagination that anybody will do so. Thanks to depleting water level, most of the people now extract ground water from below 75 feet. In most of the cases, the water has so many minerals, it needs heavy treatment before it becomes drinkable.
“Our family has to pay about Rs.400.00 (US$ 5) a month to buy drinking water. For other use, we have to pay Rs.1200.00 (US$ 20) a month. I didn’t imagine that such situation will come,” said Karki.
From a middle class family like Karki to poor ones, one has to pay the price for drinking water. Though Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) also has tanker service and community distribution system, the supply of 20 liters of water per family is not enough for drinking and other usages.
As population pressure continues to soar while water supply remains stagnant, valley people have no option in future other than to be prepared to pay higher prices for drinking water.
Looking at the growing demands of water, private entrepreneurs have already invested huge money in water tankers, which are now supplying huge volume of water in the valley. Even there are a numbers of groups producing mineral water to supply in the market.
According to experts, ground water is being extracted at twice the sustainable rate and causing the drop of ground water levels at rate of 2.5 meters per year. “Depleted ground water levels can lead to subsistence, the sinking of soil causing property damage. A reduced level of groundwater can lead to Arsenic contamination which will force more people onto the current system making less water available for your home,” wrote Prakash Amatya and George Fowler in their article published in ENPHO magazine in 2005.
In the last two decades, the population of Kathmandu Valley increased by many folds. Imadol village development committee – on the eastern outskirts of valley – alone has witnessed dramatic transformations - from just about hundred houses two decades ago to about 3000 houses and population from merely 2,500 to 30,000 thousands.
These kinds of changes are not only taking place in Imadol but all areas in Kathmandu valley. The situation is worse inside the ring road where the population density is much higher. According to the Ministry of Population and Health, the population of valley is projected to be 1.5 million including the floating population. However, the progress in supply of drinking water is very low.
“We have to wake up at the mid-night every alternative day so that water can be pumped,” said Jamuna Shrestha of Baneswor. Shrestha and Karki are vividly and accurately narrating what is undoubtedly one of the most pressing problems every household in the valley is facing.
Although the government has been trapped into single project option stressing on Melamchi project to maintain the water supply in the valley, its implementation continues to delay due to several technical, political and financial reasons.
According to an estimate of NWSC, the valley now demands more than 146 Million Liters Per day. According to Corporation, it has the capacity to supply just between 73 to 98 MLD. The people of valley have to manage remaining water through various other alternatives.
The government expected that by 2016, the valley’s population will reach 2.1 million and the demand of water will rise to 268 MLD per day. Even if Melamchi is completed on schedule, there will be huge short fall of water and they need to divert the water from Larke and Yangri.
Although Nepal is known as a country of abundant fresh water, large number of population in capital Kathmandu has to pay high price and many people have to use even dirty water.
As soon as monsoon begins, taps in the valley also sees sufficient running water. Prepared by WaterAid Nepal , the Urban Program Operation Framework (2005-2010), states that on an average 78 percent urban population have access to water supply. This does not ensure adequate and safe supply. For example, water distribution is contaminated and most part of Kathmandu receives only half an hour supply on alternative days.
According to the framework, the city supply also has been contaminated by various types of bacterial coliform resulting in frequent outbreak of water borne diseases. As the distributing network is getting older, the possibility of water pollution is higher.
Rain Water Harvesting
As the water supply continues to decline, people are looking at different alternatives. In most of the areas, communities have begun the renovation of stone spouts and adopted new technology of rain water harvesting.
According to experts, rain water harvesting can be the best way to maintain water supply in the valley. Rain water harvesting can provide complimentary sources of water for household needs. As it is safe to drink except in areas with high air pollution, Kathmandu has immense possibility to exploit it.
Kathmandu receives annual average rainfall of 1610 mm. During the four months period from June to September, the rainfall is highest According to experts, the system can be built on all types of building.
Despite immense possibility to harvest the rain water, it is yet to be tapped by the people. Thanks to the efforts of NGOs, people are gradually moving to harvest the rain water for household use. Any sized roof can be used to collect water.
Water As The Priority
Although Nepal has been making plans to increase the access to water and sanitation in remote areas, the country is still struggling to address the sanitation and drinking water supply demands in urban areas like capital Kathmandu .
As 2015 deadline set by Millennium Development Goals is coming closer, Nepal seems to be in no position to meet the goals about providing access to drinking water and sanitation to all of its population.
“One in three people do not have access to drinking water. Similarly, every two in three do not have access to sanitation in Nepal ,” said Umesh Pandey, director of Nepal Water For Health (NEWAH).
“The access to safe drinking water is very low in the valley. Large number of poor people don’t have access to piped drinking water,” said Lazana Manandhar, executive director of Lumanti, an NGO working in sanitation and water sector.
”Without sanitation and water, there can be no sustainable development in health, education, and livelihoods, locking people into a cycle of poverty and disease,” said Sanjaya Adhikary, country representative of Water Aid Nepal .
The report prepared by WaterAid reveals that 17 percent or 218,322 households in 5 municipalities are unconnected to piped water supply.
According to the report, to reach the sanitation target , an additional 14,000 households need to be served per month between 2000 and 2015, and an additional 11,300 households need to be served per month to reach the drinking water target. The total financial requirement to meet these targets is US$ 1,087 million while the resource availability for 2000 to 2015 is US$ 755 million resulting in an annual resource gap of US$ 23 million.
Published by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and National Planning Commission, Millennium Development Goals Needs Assessment for Nepal states that the total cost of attaining the MDG target on water supply and sanitation for 2005-2015 amounts to Rs 137,398.2 million at 2004/05 constant prices.
According to Human Development Report 2006, Nepal falls in the category of countries with sanitation coverage less than 40 percent. Inequality in water provision relates not just to access and expenditure but also to price. Price rise steeply as water passes through intermediaries i.e. trucks, vendors, tankers. In Kathmandu , the municipal water utility reaches about three quarters of the population but half of the poor depend upon public taps.
As population pressure increase, the demands of water will also increase. Melamchi has shown that is a very difficult and long process to bring the water in valley from outside. The time has come now to start using alternative sources like harvesting rain water, which is cheap and safe. Till now it is an agenda of non-governmental organizations only, the time has come for the government to develop a long term planning to use this alternative. Otherwise, water is going to be scarce and expensive community to the people.
