Building a water tank that will make a difference

At 1400 metres above sea level, water sources are difficult to find in Rampur and people often have to travel to neighbouring communities to collect water. So Raleigh volunteers are working alongside local people in Rampur to build an 800 litre water tank which will be connected to public tap stands across the community and improve access to running water.

To make this happen, throughout the course of the project volunteers will dig a 6ft deep pit to place the new water tank and will help construct a 1.2km pipeline which will distribute water across the community.

The water tank will be a valuable resource which will make a difference to everyday life in Rampur. Chandra Bahdur, Chairperson of the Water User Committee in Rampur, said:

“As water sources are rarely found here we often have to go to the to the homes of people in the next village to collect water. Sometimes our children have to miss school to collect the water from the next village. As part of the Water User Committeee in Rampur we are responsible for the maintenance of water resources, so we are also trying to upgrade the condition of our water and increase the level of water we have in our water tanks. We hope to source water from rivers below to the water tank provided by Raleigh, and when the tank is full we will distribute it equally across the community. We are hopeful that the water tank built by Raleigh will be enough and that the supply of water will then be sufficient.”

Volunteers have already made big progress on their project! In the space of one week, they have completed digging the 6ft pit for the water tank and have conducted surveys in every household which will inform their work for the rest of the project.

Raleigh volunteer Anna said: “The best thing about our work is that we can already see how much progress that we’ve been making. In a few days more tools will arrive for the next part of the project, and I think it’s amazing that we’ve got to this stage so fast. Over the last few days we’ve seen that there is water scarcity in the community, so we know our work is going to make an impact and that a bigger water tank is going to help.”

The volunteers are working closely alongside the local community on the project and will be supported by them at every stage.

Raleigh volunteer Hattie said:” I’m happy that everyone is really on board with the project. It feels like we are empowering people, doing this with the community instead of doing it for them. That’s the best thing, it feels sustainable which is exactly how I wanted it to be.”

Alongside the water tank building, Raleigh volunteers in Rampur will also help to construct a number of new household toilets in the community and will build new handwashing stations to promote improved hygiene and sanitation. Follow the work of Raleigh volunteers on the current Expedition on the Raleigh Nepal Facebook and Instagram page.