Water

Country Water Action: Nepal
Water Today, Better Lives Tomorrow
(July 2004)

Nepal ranks among the poorest countries in Asia. Less than 60% of its rural population has access to safe water, and 20% has access to basic sanitation facilities.

The 4^th Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project provided water water to about 40 districts in the far western, midwestern, and eastern development regions of Nepal. Approximately 1,500 simple, gravity-fed water supply systems and 900 low-cost latrines were built throughout the project areas.

More than 600,000 people living in poor, remote areas of Nepal benefited from the project. The major benefits included increased water consumption, improved water quality, energy and time savings, and significant health benefits. The reduction in time spent collecting water from distant springs and streams and the energy saved resulted in an improvement in the quality of life and health of women and female children.

Read the case study and project completion report.