ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Table 5.9: Water Quality of Shallow Tube Wells in the Terai RegionSites (District)Chloride(mg/l)Ammonia-N(mg/l)Nitrate-N(mg/l)Iron(mg/l)Manganese(mg/l)Coliformcfu/100mlPanchgacachi (Jhapa) 15.4 0.70 0.2 6.0 0.8 11.1Baijnathpur (Morang) 16.4 0.50 0.2 4.5 0.5 15.9Bayarban (Morang) 17.6 0.50 2.4 6.0 0.6 0.5Takuwa (Morang) 21.0 1.00 1.0 10.4 0.4 45.9Shreepur Jabdi (Sunsari) 37.2 0.90 0.2 8.0 0.6 25.5Bandipur (Siraha) 195.6 0.70 3.5 0.4 0.4 1.0Naktiraipur (Saptari) 54.5 1.20 0.3 12.0 1.3 16.0WHO Standard 250.0 1.24 10 3.0 0.5 nilcfu = coliform units, mg/l = milligram per liter, WHO = World Health OrganizationSource: ENPHO (1990)and floods have often caused turbidity of river water.In the absence of proper protection, drinking watersources are polluted due to the floods duringsummer rainfall, which add turbidity and variousnutrients to the river water.SanitationSanitation can be measured in terms of availability ofsewerage and toilet facilities. Access of householdsto sanitation facilities increased from 6% in 1991 to25% in 1999 and 46% in 2001. However, the majorityof the population still practices open defecation. Thisis the major reason for the contamination of watersources, particularly in rural areas. There is a markedvariation in access to sanitation between rural andurban areas. In urban areas, access to sanitationincreased from 34% in 1991 to 67% in 1999, but inrural areas only from 3% to 18% (NPC 1992; NPC1997; RWSSP 1999).On the basis of water use per person per day,NPC (1997) estimated the wastewater generated tobe 90% of the total per capita water consumption ofboth rural (45 liters per capita) and urban (60 litersper capita) areas. This means an estimated totalwastewater generation per day of 807 million liters inrural areas and 174 million liters in urban areas. Asthere are no treatment plants outside the valley, thiswastewater is assumed to be discharged directly intoTable 5.10: [Theoretical] Sewerage Coverage in NepalDescription 1999 2000 2001Total Length of Sewers (km) 220 225 232Interceptors 33.7 38.7 40Laterals 186.3 186.3 192Number of Treatment Plants 4 4 4Population Served 390,000 400,000 420,000Population Coverage (%) 40 40 40Source: NWSC (2001) p. 11.water bodies. There are effectively no wastewater orsewage treatment facilities in Nepal. Nominally thereare four treatment plants in the country, all in thecities of Kathmandu Valley, but of these four, one ispartly functioning and the remaining three are notfunctioning at all (Table 5.10). Thus in parts ofKathmandu Valley, there are sewerage lines, but thesewerage is discharged directly into the river. In 2001it was planned to bring the defunct seweragetreatment station at Dhobighat into operation andconstruct an additional sewer line to extend theservice in urban areas. However, as of 2006, thetreatment station is still not in operation. In othercities and towns, there is storm drainage but nosewerage system.Public Health ImpactsWater pollution is the most serious public healthissue in Nepal. There is a vital connection betweenwater and health. The rivers have become majorplaces for urban solid waste disposal and dumping,and for industrial effluents, all of which areresponsible for deteriorating the river water qualityand contributing to waterborne diseases. In majorurban areas, particularly in Kathmandu Valley,vegetables are cleaned with polluted river water, andduring the dry summer season polluted river water isused for bathing and washing clothes, which mayhave adverse effects on human health. Theinadequate amount of drinking water is alsoresponsible for disease.The total treatment capacity of drinking water inNepal is much lower than the average amount ofwater produced (NWSC 2001). This means that thequality of drinking water is substandard. As noted inChapter 2, water-related diseases are among the topten leading diseases in the country. Of these,waterborne diseases (such as diarrhea, dysentery,cholera, and typhoid, resulting from consumption of60 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges