Nepal WASH Blog Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) & Development in Nepal

In 2008/09 WaterAid in Nepal worked together with Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) to initiate a WASH intervention in the Ghyachok VDC of Gorkha district to develop its Water Use Master Plan (WUMP). Based on the WUMP’s recommendations, eight schemes were identified to address Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) requirements in the Ghyachok VDC and a three year implementation plan was developed.

Ghyachok is the most remote VDC in the area, located in the northern part of Gorkha district in the western development region. Agriculture is the principle livelihood of people in the area, the majority of who are from the Gurung and Tamang ethnic groups, along with Dalit living in very scattered settlements. Before WaterAid’s support, only 8% of people had access to clean water and 7% to improved sanitation services. Others had to fetch water from distant springs and rivers – approximately a one hour round trip. Open defecation was common.

In the first year (2008/09) WaterAid in Nepal and NEWAH implemented their first WASH project and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Fund Board (a World Bank funded government programme) also initiated a three year project cycle scheme. The next year, WaterAid introduced a VDC coverage approach in its rural programme and implemented another three schemes. A further three schemes were implemented in 2010/11 and all the WASH projects were completed by the end of March 2011.

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