Women for Water implementing SDG Target 6.1 in Nepal

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From First Aid for Earthquake Victims to
​Structural Water Resource Management

Sipaghat bazar after earthquake disaster. Photo: Somjin Klong-ugkara

A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, toppling multi-story buildings in Kathmandu, the capital, and creating landslides and avalanches in the Himalaya Mountains. Nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 suffered injuries. It was the deadliest earthquake in the seismically active region in 81 years.Women for Water Partnership provided its member in Nepal, the Association of Women Professionals in the Land Use Sector (WPLUS), a grant to support earthquake victims of Sindhupalchowk district to regain access to drinking water. In consultation with the community the initial aid project transformed into a programme educating and supporting communities in water resource management and gender equality.

WPLUS conducted a need assessment survey immediately after the earthquake at the project site, 200 households in the Sipaghat area of Sindhupalchowk district. Due to the earthquake, sources of water shifted into lower elevations causing water supply to the community to be cut off. Women and girls of the community, as everywhere in Nepal solely responsible for fetching water for their households and livestock, had to get water from hard to reach sources further away. Accidents were common because of the slippery hilly trails. The remote areas increased the risk of violence and sexual abuse. And, of course, there was no time left for women to participate in any other social and economic activities.

Apart from the immediate need for water, the community sought support to construct water intake from the nearest spring. Both to conserving the limited water resources in the area and to supply clean water for households. It became quickly clear this was not an easy task: Structural damage to reservoirs and break-pressure tanks had resulted in leakage; overhead reservoirs and tap stands were no longer structurally sound. Moreover, the location of the spring where water was taken from was not clean and the flow of water low, causing scarcity of water as well.

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WPLUS meeting with the community

WPLUS not just supported the community to solve these technical issues. Members of the community themselves meanwhile understood that without proper water management it would just be a matter of time before the same problems would occur.

WPLUS therefore guided community members in learning how to properly manage their water resources, reservoirs and tanks, how to divide, supervise and monitor responsibilities within the community, and, how effective water management contributes to the economic development of the community, with women and girls having much more time to participate in educational, economical and social activities.

The project has had a significant and, importantly, lasting impact on the development of the community. Not only have all 200 households now access to clean drinking water with an action plan ensuring ongoing water source management. The project aided in creating a healthy and conscious community in terms of water and sanitation management, contributing to Improving livelihoods of men and women of the community, and reducing the exclusion and vulnerability of women and girls.
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The fact the project was demand driven by a community eager to learn and take responsibility for their own water resource management has been a crucial for success. Ownership by communities themselves is essential. Ongoing monitoring, training and regular awareness activities are important to guarantee sustainability of the project.

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SDG Target 6.1

Achieving universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030 presents a huge challenge for all countries, not just those with low incomes. The global population using at least a basic drinking water service increased from 81 per cent in 2000 to 89 per cent in 2015. However, only one in five countries below 95 per cent coverage is on track to achieve universal basic water services by 2030.
​Achieving target 6.1 means addressing the “unfinished business” of extending services to 844 million people who still lack even a basic water service, and progressively improving the quality of services to 2.1 billion people who lack water accessible on premises, available when needed and free from contamination (safely managed drinking water).
It also implies going beyond households and providing access to services in schools, health-care facilities and other institutional settings. The commitment to “leave no one behind” will require increased attention on disadvantaged groups and efforts to monitor elimination of inequalities in drinking water services. Disaggregated data on basic services are available for a growing number of countries (80), by rural and urban area, wealth group and subnational region.
This enables governments to better identify and target disadvantaged groups, but further work is required to disaggregate estimates for safely managed services. In those countries where a large proportion of the population still lacks even a basic drinking water service, the initial focus must remain on ensuring that everyone has access to an improved drinking water source and reducing the time spent(primarily by women and girls) collecting water. Further work is also needed to establish a commonly agreed method for assessing affordability, as payment for services should not be a barrier to accessing services. 

The water source

Left: Checking the water pipes from the spring. Above: Water intake construction