This is a scenario that seems almost impossible for many health-conscious inhabitants of a capital where there are frequent complaints of sewer contamination in drinking water.
Lekhnath is one of 29 towns across Nepal where inhabitants receive safe drinking water as part of the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project, from Phidim in the east, to Mahendranagar in the west, these towns have already been fitted with modern water supply and sanitation systems that can sustain its population growth for the next 15 years.
A major feature of the project is the shift in management of the local water supply system from the Water Supply Corporation to the Water Users and Sanitation Committee (WUSC). The WUSC has been part of the project since its inception for which it has made monetary investments.
"We have installed a pressure filter which purifies the water of all bacteria, and our water has about 62 elements recommended by WHO," says Paudel, also president of the WUSC for his town.
The Small Towns Project, as it is commonly known, is considered a success by all involved. The project is jointly funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the government of Nepal and local users of the water supply and sanitation systems.
"The unique feature of this project is the system of cost recovery, whereby the locals pay 50% of the total construction cost of the water supply and sanitation system over a period of time," says Diwakar Dhakal, an engineer of the Nepal Water Supply Corporation involved with the project.
The success of the project, for both Nepal and the ADB, has inspired a second phase of water supply projects throughout the country. In a conference held on November 13 in Kathmandu, Jeremy Ockelford, team leader of the Project Preparation Technical Assistance (PPTA) section of the ADB, unveiled a 15-year plan for about 300 emerging Nepali towns.
The conference was attended by various experts involved in the Small Town Project not shy in voicing any of its shortcomings. Issues of water quality and the sustenance of the treatment plants after completion of construction were the major concerns raised by the experts. Still, all in attendance expressed that this new experiment in water quality was exactly what Nepali towns needed.
Despite all its plus points, the logistics behind the project is a challenge for locals. Not only are people responsible for maintaining the quality of their own water and sanitation systems, but there is also the overbearing issue of domestic debt.
"We have to pay back 7.5 crore along with a 7.5% interest, so it is s big responsibility," says Paudel of Lekhnath.
"But better to have our town under our own control, because finally we own our utility systems and are responsible for its functioning. So it all depends on us whether it functions or not," he adds.
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