Since a very long time, urban areas have been facing the issue of water scarcity.
In Kathmandu, public water taps are common to our visual; however one can hardly find water running through. In the mean time, finding people highly depended upon groundwater to meet can be easily traced down. The only question that lies is- How long is the groundwater going to serve the people?
Water demand triggers the need of water table recharge. Every monsoon brings enough rain, a gift for recharging and leveling up the water table. However, due to the concretization of the ground unlike the porous ground found in earlier days, let alone recharge, water hardly infiltrates through. Large amount of water overflows straight into the drainage canals. With the intervention of proper techniques, this water could have beenan assets with the adequate storageand utilization. Furthermore, the additional water can be connected to the recharge well thereby helping to recharge the well. Sadly, much needs to be achieved.
On 19th February 2016, GUTHI team visited Sathya Sai Bidhyashram, Tokha. Amid all the issues surrounding water supply, the school is secured in terms of water supply. It has installed and adopted a well-structured rainwater harvesting system. People might not have a well-structured rainwater harvesting system installed in their house but they do practice the simple mechanism of collecting rainwater from the catchment and utilize them.
Now, after one year old Rainwater Harvesting System and waste-water treatment systems installation, the school’s only water supply is rainwater.Besides meeting its own water demand, the school has been able to serve the community as well. “The school is open to the community people as well in order to fetch water,” says NarottamUpadhya, Principal, Sathya Sai Bidhyashram.
He further adds, “Everyday people living around come to the schools in order to fetch water as the public water supply is irregular.
Besides, rainwater harvesting in the school also has waste-water treatment system which has reduced the burden of waste that might otherwise get mixed into the rivers in the valley.”
During the interaction with the students, majority of them were totally depended on the water supply of school. They neither had any complain about the regularity of the water supply. The school is in voyage of establishing itself as a role model for water efficient school.
