Spring cleaning in Nepal
18 May 2007
A DFID programme that provides tailored support to some of Nepal's poorest communities is improving quality of life across
the country. One important area in which the
Community
Support Programme (CSP)
has provided help is in the provision of clean water.
Money for fresh water
In the village of Lawasta Guptipur,
the CSP has made a huge difference to people in over 70 households. With a
grant of £1,500, supplemented by money that they had raised themselves,
villagers were able to build a shelter over their freshwater spring to keep the
supply 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. By sharing this source of drinking water with animals, the villagers had 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."
Water to benefit everyone
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 the recent decade-long 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.
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.
