In line with UN “MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability” which lays emphasis on increasing accessibility to safe drinking water, Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Environment (PPPUE) lays a strong focus on drinking water and making it available for poor, disadvantaged groups in otherwise well serviced urban areas.

The project’s interventions in water are guided by these directives:

- Alternative water supply in unnerved or poorly served pocket areas thereby increasing water availability.

- Incorporating form of community management or fee based service (for sustainability purposes)

PPPUE is working together with partner municipalities and the community to scale-up water supply services to urban poor.  PPPUE promotes involvement of private sector to provide - operate and manage alternative water supply and distribution to the urban poor. 

Khalte Gairi Gaun, Tallo and Upallo Shanti Tole are three squatter settlements situated in Ward No. 18 of Pokhara Municipality. The settlements are near the Boring Khanepani Sanchalak Upabhokta Samiti office and water boring site. The Boring Samiti is a community managed water supply scheme. The water boring was conducted as part of benefits to the local community during landfill construction. The Samiti has been operating the water supply scheme since 1999 and presently has 362 paying customers. The Samiti also conducts annual monitoring of the water quality with regular testing.

Despite being in close vicinity of the boring site, the residents of these settlements did not have access to drinking water.

Water Supply System

The water supply project at Khalte Gairi Gaunsupplies drinking water through extension of 2000 metre water pipelines (1.5” diameter polythene pipe) to the settlement from existing pipe line by the Boring Samiti in Radha Krishna Tole to the north. 26 households (86% of the households are Janjati or dalit) of the settlement receive drinking water free of cost.

The water supply project at Tallo and Upallo Shanti Tole supplies drinking water through extension of water pipelines (2” diameter polythene pipe) along the central access-way serving the settlements. The pipe line supplies water to the existing water tank and 50 households (92% of the households are Janjati or dalit) of the community is served by the individual connections with nominal monthly service fee.

The drinking water projects were launched with initial support from Pokhara Municipality, the Boring Khanepani Upabhokta Samiti and PPPUE to cater to the drinking water needs of the squatter settlements. The communities of these three settlements made labour contributions during the laying of pipelines.The community organizations Khalte Gairi Gaun Tole Bikash Samstha, Tallo and Upallo Shanti Tole Bikash Samstha, are now responsible for the distribution and management of the project.

Drinking water at Tallo Shanti Tole

Achievements

• Clean drinking water to unserved community at nominal price
• Improvement in environment and health of the community
• Number of households benefited - 76 households