E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUN 09 -

Amid acute shortage of water in the Capital, retailers dealing in tanker and jar water business have been providing much-needed relief to many Kathmanduities, mainly to the middle class and poor people. However, water distributed directly through tankers raises questions about quality.   

KMC-15 is reeling under severe water crisis. Pipe and well water are the main sources of water here. But local people say both the sources cannot meet the increasing water demand. Sita Shrestha, a resident of Kimtol said, “Pipe and well water is not enough to run household chores. Since we cannot buy tank-full water, we have to buy jar water from vendors for drinking and cooking,” Shrestha said.

Jar and tanker water business is flourishing here. From Nardevi Hospital to Bhagwan Pau (Swayambhu), there are more than 25 open-water shops, which are among 62 retail shops

selling jar water in 10 major KMC wards as figured in the Small Scale Water Retailing in KMC-2011 report.

According to the report, water vendors are supplying four million litre water per month to more than 32,000 urban poor.

Prem Bahadur Tamang, a water vendor at Bhagwan Pau, brings water from tankers four times in a month from Balaju. He sells water to customers directly through tankers. He charges Rs 7 for 20 litres of water and Rs 6 for 15 litres. “Till now, I haven’t incurred loss in this business,” Tamang said. The report, however, doesn’t recommend tanker and jar water for drinking purpose.

Based on a test of samples, it says water meant for drinking brought by tankers from deep boring wells and subsequently filled in jars are contaminated. Almost 80 percent consumers of tanker and jar water drink untreated and unsafe water and are prone to water borne diseases. Executive Director of NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation Prakash Amatya said tankers meet the water demand of the majority of urban poor. However, there is no policy to monitor water business. “If tanker and jar water is not regulated and monitored properly, an epidemic like Jajarkot incident can break out in Kathmandu Valley,” Amatya said. The water shops are neither registered with government offices.

Rabin Man Shrestha, Chief of KMC’s Environment Management Division, said the metropolitan city has heard about the business of tanker and jar water in many places. However, KMC has no mechanism to monitor it, he said.

Posted on: 2011-06-09 08:40

Post Your Comment

Please note that all the fields marked * are mandatory.
* Full Name
* Address
* Email Address
* Comment
* Captcha	Get another CAPTCHA code
Note:	Comments containing abusive words or slander shall not be published.