There is no creature in the world that does not need water to
breathe on. And Nepal is no exception. But Nepalese have huge
huge problem there. Rated the number second in terms of water
resources, people in the capital city are doomed to fuss around
for a mere bucket of water. Can you look for a greater irony?
Put aside pure and pristine water, people in the valley consider
themselves fortunate if the neighborhood have water taps
throwing enough water. Examples of people waking up at odd hours
and taking their turns for a pale of water are not new to the
ears of any Kathmanduite.
But don’t we know that Nepal is the second richest country in
terms of water resources next only to Brazil?
Water has been the catchword of the political rhetoric,
especially after the restoration of democracy in 1990. Over the
years, leaders of various parties have delivered innumerable
honeyed speeches to the effect that they would flush the
Kathmandu roads with water from the mountains, once the Melamchi
Drinking Water Project is completed. Years after years have
passed by since the commitment was made, but dearth of drinking
water still plagues the Kathmandu life. In fact, the project has
been disturbed so frequently that now it seems the project would
never near its completion. Of late, people have gone to the
extent of saying that Melamchi Drinking Water Project is not
that important and that underground water could be one good and
cheaper substitute to the much-delayed project.
What remains is the chronic hardship that people in the capital
valley go through, all for a mere bucketful of water. As always,
people complain about the drinking water problems and the
Drinking Water Corporation keeps making excuses for its
inability to supply drinking water to the valley people. Average
water demanded per day in the valley is 190 million liters (MLD)
but the Corporation has been able to supply only 130 MLD of
water, which drops to 90 MLD during the sweltering summer
season.
Thanks to the private water supply companies in the valley, at
least people who can afford are being able to use it.
Nevertheless, the quality of the water supplied by these private
companies is another question that remains to be answered. There
are examples where dead rats were found in the water supplied by
these companies. But, the question is, does anybody bother to
pay heed?
So far as the question of Corporation water is concerned, people
remain awake till late into the nights or get up in the wee
hours just to make sure that they do not miss an opportunity
their turn at the taps scattered thinly across the valley.
But the million-dollar question is, is the drinking water
supplied suitable for consumption? Water borne diseases that
break out during summers every year say the answer to the
question is a big ‘NO’. Had the water been pure and safe,
hundreds of thousands of people in Nepal would not have suffered
from water borne diseases every year. According to a UNICEF
report, 40 children die in Nepal everyday due to water borne
diseases. To add in, majority of the women and children in
remote areas of the country spend most of their time collecting
water.
A serious question to the concerned authority would be to ask as
to where is the point in boasting of being the second riches
country in water resources if it cannot supply water to a mere
23 million population? Do all those ‘castles in the air’ make
any sense?
Someone has rightly said that the water is the petrol for the
21st century world. We hope the concerned authorities realize
this fact on time and take necessary initiatives so that petrol
of the 21st century can fuel the developmental process of Nepal.
News Compiled By :
Archana Manandhar
08th July 2005
