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Drinking Water

Subject: Social Studies and Population Education

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Overview

Water is a basic need of life. Without water, it is impossible to survive. Moreover, water is required for cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. This note provides us with the information about the importance of drinking water.

Drinking Water

 

Figure: Drinking Water

Water is a basic need of life. Without water, it is impossible to survive. Moreover, water is required for cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. Not only humans, even other animals and plants require water. An aquatic ecosystem is impossible without water.

In Nepal, water is also a main source of electricity.But the water we use should be pure to remain healthy and prevent ourselves from water-borne diseases. Many people die because of water-borne diseases, especially in the rural areas. People used to drink the water from river and lakes but sometimes they can be harmful. These problems affect the human resource and development of the country. A country has to pay a huge amount of money to solve these problems instead. But the accessible solution is to provide pure healthy drinking water.In Kathmandu, Bir Shamsher made tap water available for the first time. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir. At present, Drinking Water Corporation is responsible for water supply in the Kathmandu valley. But, the water provided still is not free of impurities.

In Kathmandu, Bir Shamsher made tap water available for the first time. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir. At present, Drinking Water Corporation is responsible for water supply in the Kathmandu valley. But, the water provided still is not free of impurities.

In Nepal, water is also a main source of electricity. But the water we use should be pure to remain healthy and prevent ourselves from water-borne diseases. Many people die because of water-borne diseases, especially in the rural areas. People used to drink the water from river and lakes but sometimes they can be harmful. These problems affect the human resource and development of the country.

The country has to pay a huge amount of money to solve these problems instead but, the accessible solution is to provide pure healthy drinking water.In Kathmandu, Bir Shamsher made tap water available for the first time. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir. At present, Drinking Water Corporation is responsible for water supply in the Kathmandu valley. But, the water provided still is not free of impurities.

Figure: Queuing for water Source: www.navvi.com

Figure: Queuing for water

Source: www.navvi.com

In Kathmandu, Bir Shamsher made tap water available for the first time. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir. At present, Drinking Water Corporation is responsible for water supply in the Kathmandu valley. But, the water provided still is not free of impurities.In Kathmandu, Bir Shamsher made tap water available for the first time. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir.

People in the rural area have to walk a day just to fetch a bucket of water. They are falling sick because of impure drinking water. Not only in the rural area, the people of cities also can't get water from their taps regularly. If they can be provided with pure drinking water then, many time and labour can be saved.People of the Terai have to depend on the underground water. Poisonous chemical named arsenic has been found in the underground drinking water. In water pump and water tap of the arsenic area, a red colour sign can be found.

 

 

Things to remember
  • Water is a basic need of life. Without water, it is impossible to survive. Moreover, water is required for cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. Not only humans, even animals and plant require water. The aquatic ecosystem is impossible without water.
  • Bir Shumsher made tap water available for the first time, in Nepal. He also built several water spouts and a reservoir.
  •  People of the Terai have to depend on the underground water.
  • It includes every relationship which established among the people.
  • There can be more than one community in a society. Community smaller than society.
  • It is a network of social relationships which cannot see or touched.
  • common interests and common objectives are not necessary for society.
Videos for Drinking Water
Alternative Drinking Water Solutions in Nepal-1
Alternative Drinking Water Solutions in Nepal-2
Importance of Water
Water as basic need
Questions and Answers

Our country is very rich in water resources. However, there is a scarcity of drinking water. The following causes can be behind the scarcity of drinking water:

  • Lack of preservation of water resources
  • Lack of capital
  • Lack of appropriate plan
  • Deforestation
  • Growth of population
  • Lack of technical manpower
  • Pollution, etc.

Nepal has huge potential regarding water sources. However, more than one-third population has been deprived of drinking water facilities. To meet the targeted plan, Nepal government should do many things such as:

  • The Nepal government should produce skilled manpower, develop processing system, focus on communication management system development and grow the construction material.
  • The Nepal government should try to control the rapid urbanization, pollution and population growth.
  • Nepal government should regularly monitor for the purification of water and its resources.
  • Nepal government should check the leakage of drinking water supply, etc.

The drinking water supply situation of the district in Terai is stated below:

  • The main source of water is the hand pump or tap that provides 38.6% of the total quantity of water.
  • 18.9% of water is supplied through pipes.
  • People receive 16.3% of water from the ponds or wells.
  • Springs or kuwas are also one of the water resources, and the Terai people use 11.7% of water from these resources.
  • As there are many rivers in the Terai region, people utilize 10.9% of water from them.
  • People are supplied with 3.7% of water from other sources.

To meet the aims determined by interim plan of 2064-2067 BS regarding the supply of safe drinking water, the following steps, I think, are better applicable:

  • Let people be informed about the importance of water and its use.
  • Preserving the local sources of water.
  • Launching large-scale water-supply projects and participate people in their operation.
  • Controlling leakages and repairing the equipment timely.
  • Controlling pressured migration to urban areas developing all regions equally.
  • Development through the'bottom-up' approach for its sustainable pressure.

Bir Shumsher made tap water available for the first time in Kathmandu,

The first hydroelectricity project in Nepal is the Pharping Hydroelectricity Project.

River, well, tube well, ponds, canals, pumps, etc. are the sources or drinking water.

Arsenic, Ammonia, Iron etc. are some harmful substances found in water.

We need pure drinking water because we can get rid of so many water-borne diseases by drinking pure water.

'Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink'. It means that all water sources we see around us is not useful for drinking.There are lots of water resources around us but because of the unmanaged human activities almost all of the water resources are polluted which brings shortage of clean drinking water.

Boiling, filtering, SODIS are some ways to purify water.

Jaundice, dysentery, typhoid, cholera etc. are some diseases born out of the impure water.

Drinking water should be undoubtedly pure. We have got many water resources, but all of them are not safe. The drinking water which was piped out and brought into the Kathmandu valley from Shivapuri during the Rana period was the formal and first project of drinking water. Water distribution from Sundarijal is supplied to the people of Kathmandu but it is insufficient for the people of Kathmandu valley because the population has been explosively increased within the 10/15 years, so there is repeated alarming condition of water in the valley. Most of the towns and cities have been provided with drinking water but sometimes because of the lack of maintenance it has been facing problems for regular supplies. People in Terai are forced to use the water from well, pumps which contain arsenic, iron etc. The supplies of water in the populated cities are almost out of control. Especially during the dry season some affordable person invest huge amount for self-boring, reverse osmosis technology based filtration, etc. Many people in the remote places walk for hours to fetch drinking water from the distances far from home.

Nepal has been facing problems regarding drinking water which are as follows:
  1. Water resources are far and limited in many areas.
  2. The government is unable to invest huge amount of money to run a drinking water supply project.
  3. There is a lack of care in the way of distribution or use of water by people.
  4. It is very difficult to supply water in all the places because of land topography.
  5. The supply and distribution of water are affected by load shedding.

The drinking water project is made once after long efforts and processes. During this span of time, lots of changes and impacts are seen. Especially, a city, headquarter or a capital city is more affected in many ways. People from the village come to that place for higher education, health, security or for the better living status. Some of them get immigrated to their place because, the place where he had been living at, is problematic from different ways. Some of them can't live there because of the internal domestic problems, natural calamities. As such, if people migrate over the limited supply of water, targeting a specific location that place is much affected. People will be unable to use water as their need. This can affect the aspects of the human living system, economically, socially and from the health condition etc.

The last armed movement of the Maoist against the government caused people to sheek shelter in Kathmandu. The population in the Kathmandu valley was roughly estimated at about 35-40 lakhs along with their status as student, service holder or locals and a newly residential area set up in the valley. The capacity of drinking water project made at Sundarijal many years ago could no more bear the excessive burden. People during the dry seasons, have to suffer lots of problems of water. They get drinking water by carrying from Dhungedhara, buying the tanker-sold water, buying mineral water or manage locally.

The government knows a lot about the problem but has political self-regarding the construction and quick completion of Melamchi water project. It is to be brought through a 26 km long tunnel from the river called Melamchi in Sindhupalchowk district. The existing population should be anyway tried to manage in sending to their respective regions so that the burden of excessive demand would reduce. The government has tried to distribute water through the underground boring system at few places to manage water demand.

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