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Bhumika Saru, an office assistant at Janapriya Basic School in Naugaon, Rambha Rural Municipality-1, spends over half an hour each time carrying water from the foothills to the school at the top. She carries water five times a day without complaint. The school has 109 students, and the water she brings in this manner is sufficient for the teachers and parents. However, there is a constant shortage of water for toilets and other sanitation needs.
The principal of the school, Damodar Subedi, said that the school has always had a water shortage. He explained that water has to be carried up to the school in a basket six times a day. The school has students from preschool onwards, and there is no water for cleaning or sanitation. Because there are no local water sources and lack of concerns of relevant authorities , the school faces constant water problems. Since there is no other option, they have to bring water from a well, which raises concerns about its cleanliness.
Whether it’s the rainy season or winter, the school always faces the same problem of a water shortage. Since the students are young, it has become a daily routine for office assistant Saru to carry water for everyone at the school. On top of this, she also has regular duties at the school. The school’s parent, Bishnu Pathak, mentioned that while it is possible to bring drinking water with great effort, there is still a shortage of water for toilets and other sanitation needs.
The chairman of the school management committee, Yam Bahadur Sinjali, explained that there is no local source to supply drinking water to the school, so they are forced to carry water in a basket. He said, “The school has been facing a shortage of drinking water for a long time. The local government doesn’t listen to us. We don’t have any source of our own.” Chairman Sinjali added, “Despite the difficulties, we have managed to fulfil the basic needs of the students.”

Yagyamurti Timilsina