Water scarcity in Kathmandu 

Although there are no hard and fast rules on designating a city as a metropolis, the rule of the thumb is that the urban hub has to have at least a million residents (a test Kathmandu passes easily) and its people’s access to basic facilities like reliable power, water supply and sewerage systems (in all of which Kathmandu fails miserably). Take its erratic water supply system. During the rainy season, there is just about enough water for daily chores. But during the dry winter season, a household would be lucky to get a 1,000-liter tank-full of water in a week. The hard truth is that under the current arrangements, there is just not enough potable water for the fast-growing Kathmandu population (two million and counting). The current water demand of Kathmandu is 350 million liters a day (MLD), but the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the city’s only water utility, is able to supply barely 60 MLD. This acute shortfall is the reason KUKL has been forced to ration water. The problem is that many consumers are not getting even the bare minimum they need to survive. 

The dream of the waters of Melamchi river flooding Kathmandu Valley, first announced with such fanfare by the then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in 1994, continues to be a mare’s nest for the people of Kathmandu. The Melamchi Drinking Water Project, which promises to deliver 170 MLD to the parched valley (with a potential for 170 MLD more from project augmentation), has been repeatedly delayed. The stop-start schedule has been so frustrating that Melamchi has spawned its own genre of jokes. But with or without Melamchi, the water distribution system in Kathmandu has to be managed better. For many valley residents, the once-a-week water schedule falls in the middle of the night. To add to their woes, often they don’t get a single drop after waiting for a whole week (and half the night). The areas designated ‘dry zones’ fare even worse. KUKL is reportedly mulling a new schedule with special focus on dry areas. It assures the new schedule will be more reliable too. But how it will ensure that is anyone’s guess. 

One of the things that would help is controlling leakage from old water pipes, estimated to be a whopping 34 MLD, nearly half the current KUKL daily supply. It is to be expected since some of the water pipes are over a century old. The underground pipe network has become so complicated after years of neglect that it is impossible to carry out repair works in many places. Ideally, all old pipes should be replaced, but given the huge logistics involved, that could take a long time. Yet it is something that must be done eventually. Many have simply given up any hope of KUKL meeting their water needs and rely exclusively on private water tankers to get their fill. But not everyone can afford tankers. Rainwater harvesting and purifying underground water are emerging as other popular options. But they aren’t cheap as well. Easy availability of potable water at reasonable price in Kathmandu continues to be a pipe dream.

Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=70818