Ms. Pawan Thapa, studying 5th Semester of Bachelor Degree in Science at School of Environment Management and Sustainable Studies (SchEMS), claims that it is possible to survive completely on rainwater in Kathmandu Valley. She became so confident over her statement because she met a family in the middle of the valley, who were completely surviving on rainwater.
She was not sure about this before meeting them, too. Few days back, she along with her classmates in the course of exposure visit reached at Mr. Kedar Ojha’s residence to observe the rainwater harvesting system, where she noticed this truth that any valley denizen hardly imagines.
She said that Mr. Ojha welcomed her team at his residence with a cup of tea. Later, they were informed that the tea they were drinking had been prepared in rainwater, which cheered their face with surprise.
She could have hardly believed if she had just heard this incident, but she got convinced because she met Mr. Ojha and his family herself. She added that they had no other source of water except a reserve tank filled with rainwater. They were completely surviving on rainwater harvested during monsoon.
She expressed that she had heard and read that rainwater harvesting (RWH) could be an appropriate technology to cope with the existing drinking water shortage of Kathmandu Valley. But she had never met anybody depending on rainwater to this extent till date.
Mr. Ojha is a senior journalist working for the Kantipur National Daily, who with his family inhabits at Lokanthali, Bhaktapur for last 7 years. There are four members in his family.
He has no city supply at his residence. Instead, he has installed a RWH system at his house. He has also constructed a reserve tank with 42 thousand litre storage capacity to collect rainwater.
The meeting with him and his family became more than enough to convince Thapa about optimum use of rainwater.
Rainwater harvested in this tank is enough for his small family for the whole year to use for cooking, drinking and other household purposes, said Ojha. The excessive rainwater is also utilized for recharging groundwater by diverting it to nearby dug-well. It keeps his dug-well moist even during summer.
My neighbours purchases water with tanker suppliers, but I didn’t, said Ojha proudly. At the time when my reserve tanks get exhausted, I pumped out water from the dug-well that never dries up like others around.
Another student of the team, Mr. Madan Adhikary believed that RWH technology is simple and easy. Therefore, anyone can adopt this technology with simple plumbing support.
Mr. Chakchhu Bikarm Malla said that researches conducted so far have already proven rainwater to be better in quality than ground water and city supply. However, it could be the high construction cost of the reserve tank that is causing constraint to people to install RWH system. In the mean time, he added that the cost can be reduced by installing the system at the time of building construction.
Despite paying bill to authorities for city supply connection, Kathmanduits are compelled to purchase water with private water vendors. It is causing unnecessary economic pressure to them. In this context, the students suggested the valley denizens to simply harvest rainwater to save their monies.