The Small Earth Nepal (SEN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes sustainable lifestyles and development, on Wednesday organized ´heritage walk´ in Lalitpur to make people aware about the importance of such taps. [break]
Students, locals and representative of social organizations participated in the heritage walk. Prayag Lal Joshi, water expert, who has also conducted extensive research on the stone spouts of the capital, briefed the participants about the historical importance of stone spouts. "Most of the stone spouts have already dried up and those which are still in use also risk being dried up," Joshi said.
He said that construction of big buildings and tube wells is responsible for drying up of several stone spouts.
Malati Shahi, a woman residing near Thapah Hiti, Lalitpur said that water flows in her tap only on the time of load shedding. "The flow stops when there is electricity," Shahi said.
SEN said that due to excessive human encroachment, remaining stone spouts that are in use are on the verge of becoming extinct. "Due to government´s apathy more stone spouts have been vanishing," Joshi added.
Binaya Shah of SEN said that the program is organized to encourage people to use water in rational ways. He said consumption of water has been increasing. "If we can maintain the stone spouts, existing water scarcity in the cities somehow can be managed," he said.
The organization said that out of 63 stone spouts in Lalitpur, only 47 are in existence and among them only 16 are in use.
The organization said that it has also provided rain water harvesting training to several schools of capital.
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