Young Nepalese girl in the rain. The first drops of this years monsoon are cherished!

 

The monsoon rain finally arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal this week, on June 25. Some people cheered and laughed in the rain, before running for cover or bringing out their umbrellas. Over the next 4 month, 80-90% of the years “water supply” will arrive from the sky, since rainfall is the only source of water in this landlocked country. It will create floods and landslides while it lasts, before yet another dry spell will hit the country and create water shortages again. That’s the way it’s been for centuries in Nepal. But rapid population growth and more extreme weather, caused by global warming, makes it more difficult to cope with the steadfast rhythm of nature.

 

Man waiting with empty plastic containers for water

 

Over the last 8 months, the people of Kathmandu, Nepal have been languishing more and more as rivers run dry. From what must be the world’s largest water reservoir, the Himalayan Mountains, melting water runs down and forms big rivers. But despite being as huge an eco-system as this, it isn’t sufficient as a national reservoir for water supply. Especially in the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, the people languish with dried up water taps during most of the year.

So for city dwellers in Kathmandu and other urban centers, it is hard and time-consuming work to get the daily supply of water for household use. During the worst shortages, public water pipes run dry for weeks, only to get water a few hours during the middle of night. So many people must resort to walking to public water taps and filling up their buckets, one by one. These water taps, known as “dhunga-dharas” (“stone taps”), draws water from underground sources, so some of them still have water during the dry season.

Dhunga-dhara - a public water tap drawing water from underground sources.

 

Many of these dhunga-dharas have been around since Medieval times and are actually highly ornamented. As people queue up with their buckets and various other water containers, they also serve as a meeting place where people spend hours every day. It is still mostly a women’s job to carry water, but boys and men do take their turn as well. Everyone needs water. Unfortunately things like, work, education and improving living conditions are sometimes pushed aside by the necessity of water.

People queuing up at a public water tap in Nepal, with their various water containers

 

Nepalese women getting water from a dhunga dhara, stone water tap

 

 

 

Young woman with a child on one arm, attempting to move her water containers forward in the long queue

 

A girl carrying a Nepalese "gagri" filled with water. Carrying water is such an integral part of life in Nepal that the gagri has become a traditional wedding gift.

 

A man transporting water on his bi-cycle in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu

 

 

 

Aaah, finally rain!