By Tom Webber | Development Director
BridgIT Water Foundation is pleased to announce that its local Nepalese partner, Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP), in association with the beneficiaries in Birta Village, Nepal, have completed work on the Birta Village Water Project. The taps are flowing, and the people in the village and the children at the Shree Bhumesthan High School now have a reliable source of clean, fresh water.
Thanks so much to the project funders, because without your generosity, this project would never have been done.
The Birta project was complicated for a number of reasons, which led to construction delays. However with time these issues were overcome. This report will describe why the project was needed, how it was built, and the impacts, and the future of the water system, including a discussion of WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) education and the Water User Committee.
Prior to the 2015 earthquake that devastated Nepal, including this village, Birta villagers had a steady source of water from a mountain spring. After the earthquake, this water source dried up because of land movement. Therefore, the villagers were devoid of water, and had to rely on water carried from streams by women or school girls. The girls had to walk before up steep hills before they went to school and after school because it is obvious you need to cook food, and drink water every day. These treks directly impacted the time available for the children’s education.
For two years after the earthquake, the Birta community did not receive any support from either national or international donors. The situation was so dire that they were not able to mix concrete to repair their houses because of a lack of water. So the funding achieved through this campaign was key to the 572 people Birta villagers, including 437 students at the local school.
Once the funding was raised, and BridgIT forwarded the funds to KEEP, the village leaders were able to move forward to implement plans. KEEP worked closely with the village leaders on both the construction plan and the ownership policy. However the first local elections in 20 years were scheduled in May, 2017 for this region. The government stopped work on development projects during the election season to prevent corruption, and this had a significant impact on the timing of the Birta project. Progress ground to a halt for several months until after the elections. Mr. Mark Tisdell of BridgIT visited the site to understand the situation, and help get the project back on track.
Over the summer, the Birta people started to work hard to construct the Birta Water Project. The first major step was to dig a foundation for the 18 cubic meter water storage tank on public land above the town. Then the concrete tank was constructed on that site, and water was directed from the spring into the tank. At this point, the villagers dug a trench from the tank to the village for the pipeline. Simultaneously, the water taps were built in the village. The system was complete when the pipeline was connected up to these taps.
The Birta Water Project is owned by the 110 households in the village, and the school. The Water User Committee (WUC), consisting of representatives of the village and the school, makes policy to manage this gravity-fed water system. WUC's generally charge a small user fee to build up a maintenance fund for the system. In this way, the system can be self-sustaining over its lifetime, and that is the management plan for this system.
BridgIT is dedicated to WASH education, and KEEP will implement a WASH training program at the school and in the community. Sanitation is not advanced in Nepal, so this training covers the importance of good hygiene as the way to reduce disease transmission. The training also provides an understanding of fresh water in the world, the water cycle, the difference between fresh and ocean water, and the impact of climate change on the monsoon.
Thank you again for the generous support you have provide to the people of Birta Village, Nepal, so they could construct a new water system. Obviously easy access to a source of clean water makes a huge difference for the Birta people. The time and energy spent by the women and girls tgo collect water above the town can now be spent on more productive activities, and the girls can concentrate on their education. Mark Tisdell reports that the people are overcome with gratitude, such that when I visit, and when the next 5 generations of my family visit, we will be honored with the local delicacy of warm, clotted yak milk! We will drink a toast to all the project funders. Thank you.
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By Tom Webber | Development Director, BridgIT Water USA
By Tom Webber | Project Manager, Development Director
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