My photo, on a hike in Palpa district. from a young age women carry things, in this case a sibling.
The First task of any Nepali woman is to get water. In the rural areas, this means hiking to the nearest water source, sometimes a kilometer (or more) and returning with enough to cook breakfast.
In this neighborhood of rural Nepal, the water source was in a ravine. If you're going to have to haul water, you want to be economical. The practice is to bathe while you're still there. Modesty is observed.
This is such an accepted routine that when a young woman is greeted at her mother-in-law's house after marriage, there will be two new shiny water pots on the doorstep.
My photo. In this case, the well was a mile from the cottage, and mom enlisted the aid of the kids. They each got a bottle about the right size. Generally men are never seen doing this.
The above photos are from a rural area. In the cities there are still brick-lined wells in many older neighborhoods, but most people get their water from a truck (for washing and flushing toilet) or delivered in big blue jugs (for drinking).
Water Supply impacted by petrol blockade
Acute shortage of fuel and increasing power-cuts have severely affected water supply in the Kathmandu Valley.
Milan Kumar Shakya, chief of Water Operation Division under Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, told The Himalayan Times that water treatment plants had shortened treatment cycles due to the fuel crisis.
“KUKL is facing difficulty operating tube wells to generate water and treating it before being supplying it to households in the Valley. We either need regular power supply or adequate fuel to run generators to operate tube wells and water treatment plants,” he said. http://thehimalayantimes.com/...
It's still all about logistics
In my neighborhood of Patan, I always used to look into wells if I walked by when they were open. At the beginning of summer the water might be within ten feet of the end of the surface; by the end, if monsoon was not good, it might be thirty feet. I could watch neighborhood ladies get their morning water from the window of my guest house. (In the cities, by the way, they always bathe inside)
Dobighat, a neighborhood of Patan. Here, the community uses the pool below the water supply, for laundry. The cultural practices around water are interesting (to me anyway).
Water supply by private tanker operators has also been affected after more than 100 tankers have been grounded for want of fuel. This has led many people to drink unsafe water at a time when the Kathmandu Valley has just got a respite from cholera outbreak.
All these are likely to worsen water crisis in the Kathmandu Valley that has been reeling under water crisis even in normal times.
The Valley’s water demand is more than 320 million litres per day, while KUKL has been supplying only about 68 million litres every day during the dry season and 118 million litres during the rainy season. There are 166,000 taps in the Valley while water leakage is about 20 per cent, said a KUKL report.http://thehimalayantimes.com/...
Never touch your lips to the shared pitcher
The idea of "jutho" is used to prevent people from inadvertently sharing body fluids, such as by drinking from the same bottle. There is a system to drink water without touching. Click here for a short video demo.
Cholera and other waterborne diseases in Nepal
Cholera is endemic to Nepal. Right after the earthquake, there were concerns that Kathmandu would have an outbreak, and I blogged about it at that time. I gather that there were cases but not a fullblown epidemic (thank God). There was a fullblown awareness campaign including TV commercials. Also, this gem, in Nepal.
The water shortage is affecting the hospitals too. A mainstay of cholera containment is for hand hygiene and isolation. Nurses and doctors need to wash their hands. I'll leave it at that. If something materializes we'll pick up this topic again, down stream.......
There is plenty of other news.
We are now at the beginning of Dasain, the big festival. The newly-elected Prime Minister has been sworn in, and is formulating his government by naming ministers. The blockade at the India border seems to be tightly calibrated to allow just enough petrol through.
DV lottery
This month is slotted for Nepali people wishing to enter the "Diversity Visa Lottery" to submit their name. A Nepali friend shared the link to a Nepali pop tune that shows a guy who is working in a Nepali village and wins the lottery. (spoiler: he doesn't go, after all). Lots of nice scenes of village life.
The Petrol Siege of Kathmandu is in it's Nineteenth Day.
And every one is gossiping about the new Prime Minister. I tend to stay away from personalities on this blog, and not focus on the individual people. But I do have a few morsels of opinion to share with you, below the orange line.
The "Let's get petrol from China" fantasy continues. I've previously written about this, and analyzed the likelihood. I think the writers are coming to grips with the idea that India controls things, and they wish it otherwise. Here is today's two cents. On the other side of the Himayala is the Tibetan Plateau, at about 12,000 ft elevation about sea level, but with four or five passes of 16,000 feet or better. There are YouTube videos of the "Friendship Highway" between Lhasa and Kathmandu. Here is one. Ask yourself if they seem ready to ship 700 petrol trucks a day over this road.
Everest. Nothing will change the fact that petrol from China would need to cross the Himalaya somehow.
Republica News
Republica publishes in English, and they often relay the official position of the government. There has been a wave on anti-India sentiment in Nepal due to the blockade ( or is it really a blockade?) It was interesting to read an editorial titled "Don't Blame India" in which Republica clearly laid out the contentious points behind the protests in the Terai.
As it is well known, one of the core demands of the Madheshi and Tharu people is the establishment of two Madhesh provinces: one from Jhapa to Parsa and the other from Chitwan to Mahendranagar. Besides, they also demand population-based rather than geography-based constituencies for both houses of parliament. In the present constitution, there is a provision only for 65 electoral constituencies for the lower House in the Tarai, where over 51 percent of Nepal's population lives.
On the other hand, there is a provision for 100 electoral constituencies up in the hills which are home to less than half the country's population. Similarly, the protestors are demanding representation in 59-member upper house of the parliament on population basis. According to the new constitution, each federal state will be given eight seats for election to the upper house. If this principle is followed, the Madheshi and Tharu people will not only remain under-represented but also marginalized in the National Assembly, the upper house, as there will be only one Madheshi state in Tarai from Saptari in the east to Parsa in the west.
The Madheshis and Tharus are also worried about the way the constitution discriminates against children born to Nepali mothers married to foreigners. What those children will get is not citizenship by descent, but naturalized citizenship. Also, a foreign woman married to Nepali man will get only naturalized citizenship and they might have to wait for two decades to get same privileges as those who have citizenship by descent. Since all the constitutional positions are reserved for those who hold citizenship by descent, those with the naturalized citizenship will be treated as second class citizens. - See more at: http://myrepublica.com/...
For me, just the mere fact that this got published, is a hopeful sign of the new P.M. He also appointed two Deputy Prime Ministers, both from the Terai.
The editorial concluded with:
It is far easier for the Nepali ruling elite to point an accusing finger at India for the shortage of supply of essential goods in Nepal, rather than negotiate in earnest with their own people—the Madheshis and Tharus. Therefore the Madheshi movement, in all likelihood, will not end anytime soon. The government should understand that the present movement against the discriminatory practices in the constitution is of Madheshis/Tharus, by the Madheshis/Tharus and for the Madheshis/Tharus.
They are not under the control of any external force and these people are more than capable of finding their own solutions through peaceful means. It is better to keep one's own house in order rather than blame the neighbor for the disturbances in the house. - See more at: http://myrepublica.com/...
Okay, so it's got a scolding tone. But I still see this as progress, since the writer is scolding the Nepali nationalists, not the Indian Government.
from Twitter. @kathmandupost: People queue up for cooking gas at Balkhu-based gas depot in the Capital on Sunday.
Pic: Surbindra Kumar Pun
http://t.co/...
Final note for today
A few days back I described the "Human Chain" across the Terai. There was a report that said one million peope participated and it extended over 1,000 km. In Birgunj, a flashpoint near the biggest dry port entry way, 100,000 people including all segments of society in Terai, attended a peaceful rally. To me, the vast numbers make it very clear that the movement will not be subdued by riot police or by Army deployment. I get the idea that the new Prime Minister and his government understand this.
I've been doing these daily while the siege was on, but when it is lifted I will return to a more sane frequency. The readers seem to like the little cultural insights. Nepal is more than just "The Snow Leopard" or "Annapurna." (good as those two books may be). If you want to delve into Nepal culture, here's a book you might try....