Many people in Kathmandu suffer from stomach ailments and waterborne diseases. It is a well established fact that the major factor causing such problems is contaminated water. The problem becomes an acute one when various impurities are found to seep into the supply system. This type of contaminated water, even if it is boiled, is unsafe to drink.

The supply of such drinking water undermines the health of the citizens. This leads to a greater number of sick people and hence more has to be spent on public health facilities. It would be advisable to purify the water before supplying it to the consumers. Besides, a new strategy is called for to tackle the shortage of drinking water; perhaps two pipe connections could be provided to each consumer, one for drinking purpose and the other for gardening or such other use. This type of system will remove, to a great extent, the use of drinking water for other purposes. If greater attention is paid to improving the quality of drinking water supplied in the valley, it will greatly reduce the cases of waterborne diseases.

By: Rajesh Lamichhane, Kalanki, Kathmandu

Source: The Rising Nepal, April 29, 2012