Improving health and living standards 

WaterAid in Nepal and its partner organization Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) have been working to improve the living standards of communities in Nepal’s rural Eastern Region through delivery of safe water, health and sanitation services. The results have been remarkable and have produced a number of knock-on benefits.

The three communities of Sandhane, Sanodhappar and Jagretar were identified as areas deprived of development opportunities, lacking access to portable drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Residents in these communities often suffered from water-borne diseases and spent a great deal of time collecting water from distant sources.  This led to economic stagnation as people suffered from ill health and lacked time to engage in income generating activities.

Before we had to spend over three hours to fetch the minimum of five pots of water required in a day. Now in the time we used to spend fetching one pot we fetch nine.

Despite the fact that it was a farming community, residents would buy vegetables from the local market.

Due to open defecation and use of contaminated water, the majority of the population, especially the children fell ill with diseases such as diarrhea, worms, jaundice and scabies.  As a result people had to spend large sums of money on medical expenses.

NEWAH has worked with local partners to provide each community with piped drinking water systems and partially subsidized latrine facilities.

They have also introduced hygiene education and community management training programs.  Community residents have been trained in masonry production and kitchen gardening in an effort to sustain the program and also to improve livelihood opportunities.

Now people are able to access clean water through the tap stands and eat fresh vegetables as kitchen gardening practices have become widespread.  Many households now use wastewater to grow vegetables for self consumption and income generation.

Yagya Raj Bhandari, a secondary school teacher from Jagretar says, “Before the implementation of the project only 10% of households in this community used to eat vegetables with their meals, now every household eats vegetables regularly.”

He feels that eating vegetables on a regular basis has had a positive impact on the health of the people.

Dak Kumari Magar from Sandhane says she has generated enough money from selling her kitchen garden vegetables to be able to buy school stationary for her children.

Easy access to water has saved time for other activities.

Samjhana Bishwakarma a local woman says, “Before we had to walk 40 minutes to fetch a pot of water.  This means spending over three hours to fetch the minimum of five pots required in a day.  Now since the water point is only five minutes away, in the time we used to spend fetching one pot we now fetch nine.”

Now the time saved is utilized for farming, cleaning, relaxing and miscellaneous activities.

Bimal Nepali a resident of Maubasi, who acquired masonry skills through the project, has learned to construct water points and water tanks and is now earning a good living.  He earns around 30 to 35 thousand rupees annually through his skills.

A water point maintenance fee collected from every consumer household in the community amounts to more than Rs. 22 thousand.  This capital has been mobilized to provide loans for buying seeds, breeding domestic animals, health check-ups and to carry out further income generating activities.

Simply providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education in these three communities has produced lasting benefits and created new opportunities for those involved.