We have fresh water
Following our online July Covid-19 relief campaign we’ve installed new water filtering and treatment facilities on the roof of IGWR House One, and together with a solar hot water system our younger children now have good access to clean water.
It’s also great to see how our older students help with the installation of these systems, it gives them some new skills and also another opportunity for them to ‘give’ and to help the younger ones.
The tap water in Kathmandu is pumped to rooftop storage tanks from groundwater and also needs filtration, drinking water is still bottled water and that needs to be collected or delivered as part of the daily household routine.
You can see from the pics (before and after) just how necessary the replacement of the system in House One was, as the filtration systems clog up over time.
Water contamination.
Children under the age of five are the most affected with an estimated every year in Nepal from waterborne diseases.
And a little more about water in Nepal from "The Water Project
Report from The Water Project
https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-nepal
As reported by the World Bank, Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world with an estimated GDP per capita of US$470. With a staggering 42 percent of the population living below the poverty line and only 27 percent with improved access to sanitation, there are quite a number of issues facing Nepal. Some of these significant challenges are related to water pollution and water scarcity.
According to the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage in Nepal, even though an estimated 80% of the total population has access to drinking water, it is not safe.
As only 27 percent of the population has access to basic sanitation, those without access rely on local surface water sources like rivers for bathing and washing clothes. At the same time, the establishments of water treatment facilities throughout the urban and rural regions are limited. As a result, Nepal faces a high number of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, gastroenteritis, and cholera. Starting with the dry season in the month of March to the end of the rainy season in September, one is extremely vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.
Coupled with the unhygienic environmental situation, the risk of food and water contamination is increased. Children under the age of five are the most affected with an estimated 44,000 children dying every year in Nepal from waterborne diseases.
Thank You