Spring cleaning in Nepal

18 May 2007

Related pages: Nepal country profile | Making music for change | Irrigation multiplies in Nepal

In Nepal, following over a decade of conflict, there are signs that the country could yet achieve a stable future. The recent formation of an interim government made up of representatives from previously warring factions is one such sign. Another is the development work that is being carried out through the DFID-supported Community Support Programme (CSP). This programme, which tailors support to the particular needs of a community, is improving quality of life across Nepal. An important area in which the CSP has provided help is in the provision of clean water, which is an essential ingredient to any healthy and successful community.

Money for fresh water

In the village of Lawasta Guptipur the DFID Community Support Programme has made a huge difference to the lives of 73 households, many of them from the poorest parts of Nepalese society. With a grant of £1,500, supplemented by money that they had raised themselves, the villagers were able to build a shelter over their fresh water spring to keep the water clean and unpolluted. The water now pours out of three pipes and on to a concreted area that is good for washing clothes.

The village Action Committee had identified the need to protect the spring after many villagers, particularly children, fell ill with diarrhoea. Drinking water was also shared with animals, which created a breeding ground for disease.

Parbati Sakya, the oldest woman in the village, explains:

"When we arrived in this area, it was all forest. As the village grew in size the spring water became very dirty and people were often sick. With the protected spring it is easier to collect water and there is less disease. We know this because we have to buy less medicine for our children. This means that we have more money available for other things such as sending our children to school."

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Water for the benefit of all

The protection of the village spring took three months to accomplish and over 300 people lent a hand, including the local Maoists, who helped to carry stones. One of the root causes of conflict in Nepal has been inequality between different social groups, but in Lawasta Guptipur there is an atmosphere of real harmony. Any disputes are mediated within the community and there is no discrimination against the dalits (‘untouchables’), who traditionally are not allowed to take water from the same place as higher castes.

Although the grant provided to Lawasta Guptipur was small by DFID standards, the difference it has made to this village in remote western Nepal is undeniable. Locals have identified that a stronger bridge to withstand the flow of the river in rainy season is the next crucial thing that is required, and they are currently working out, as one community, how they can finance this important next step.

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Key Facts

• Over 80% of all illness in Nepal is attributed to inadequate access to clean water supplies, poor sanitation and inappropriate hygiene practices.
• Over 28,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal diseases.
• Treatment of hygiene related diseases is estimated to cost between NRs. 4 and 10 billion (£31-77m) per year.
• CSP operates in over half over Nepal’s districts, with a budget of £15 million between 2004 and 2008. It has supported over 3,000 projects targeting poor and excluded communities.

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