A New Era of Water Access and Sanitation in Raskot’s Dalit Settlement

Karnali village in Ward No. 4 of Raskot Municipality, Kalikot District, has long struggled with water supply issues. For years, the predominantly Dalit community, consisting of 67 households, relied on a public tap located about 25 minutes from the village, often facing long waits to collect drinking water. Despite repeated requests to Raskot Municipality and various development partner organizations, failed to take significant action.

To address this, the Integrated Water Resource Management Program (WRM-P) by Helvetas Nepal, in collaboration with the Human Rights and Environmental Development Center (HURENDEC) Nepal, launched the Dhamkot Bahun Mul Water Supply and Sanitation Project. This initiative, aimed at providing “one house, one tap” in Raskot Municipality Ward No. 4, Karnali Tol, included various community awareness and capacity-building programs related to water and sanitation. Through a combination of training sessions, workshops, and home visits, the project promoted clean drinking water, household hygiene, and waste management practices.

Now, all 67 households in the village have their own taps, wastewater management systems for kitchen gardens, and proper disposal methods for both perishable and non-perishable waste. Community members are actively maintaining water infrastructure, advocating for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) issues, and promoting social development.

Dinesh Sanjyal, the Ward President, hailed the project as an exemplary initiative, while Amrit Sarki, President of the Dhamkot Bahun Mul Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumer Committee, called for Raskot Municipality Ward No. 4 to be declared a full sanitation ward. He emphasized that the organization’s small efforts have led to significant improvements on behavior change in waste management, sanitation and agricultural practices in Karnali village.