On February 23, Bob Stuart, our club’s International Services Director and former RI Director, gave us an update on the International Project that is in the works in Nepal. The country of Nepal is between China and India. It is one of the poorest countries in world with a GDP per capita of $470. Nepal is dominated by the Himalaya Mountains. Many communities struggle with getting potable water. This problem was aggravated by the 7.8 Earthquake in 2015, which killed over 9,000 individuals, destroyed thousands of homes and schools, and devastated infrastructure.For our ongoing International Project, we are working with a village in Nepal. The village includes 350 individuals and 50 houses and is located on a mountain. Their source of potable water is a river at the bottom of the mountain, 1.5 miles from the village. For our international project, the project team is building a 500 liter storage tank at the source and an underground gravity flow system to the collection tank for distribution to every household in the village. The water system is being buried to prevent mudslides and to withstand forest fire damage. The team is building a 50,000 liter storage tank in the village to provide a continuous flow of water from the source. The water system in the village doesn’t need a filter. It meets WHO standards because the system will filter sand and other waste at the source.
The Distribution Network will provide potable water to every house. Tap making in the homes is underway. The water system will have regulating valves and meters for safe and affordable water.
The project will also provide community-based water and sanitation training over next 3 months, and will generate a report to The Rotary Foundation and donors