Testimonial

SHREE ADARSHA KANYA SCHOOL,MANGAL BAZAAR,PATAN

Mangal Bazaar, Patan

Two years ago in 2068 B.S., SmartPaani installed Rainwater Harvesting System, BioSand Filtration System and Recharge component in Aadrasha Kanya Madyamik Vidyalaya, Mangal Bazaar. The source of water is dug well and the total no. of students is750. The water stored from these systems is used for drinking, toilet and cleaning purposes. They are also recharging 39, 00,000L/Year of water. This school is very happy with these systems and is still taking full advantage from these systems. 

GLOBAL ACTION NEPAL

Bungmati, Lalitpur

Global Action Nepal (GAN) is a NGO which for the previous two decades has been working towards enhancing the lives of young minds by providing quality education and vocational skill courses.

The NGO which has been working with the continuous aim of creating a better society was itself going through a major water crisis as the community water supply in Karya Binayak location was really poor where the program office of GAN is located.

That was the time when GAN came up with the solution of filtering their groundwater and use it for daily use. For filtering their groundwater and purifying it, they chose to use the biosand filter from SmartPaani.

This was solving their water scarcity problem really well. They wanted also to become more sustainable with their water usage. To adapt sustainability in their office, they chose to recycle and reuse their rainwater for which they used rainwater harvesting.

Today, with the help of rainwater harvesting solution from SmartPaani, they are able to collect and use almost 2, 00,000 liters of rainwater annually. They use the water they require and the remaining water is used to recharge groundwater.

Global Action Nepal (GAN) is truly taking an action towards conserving every drop of water and reducing water demand from municipal water supply or from sources like tanker water. They recycle and reuse their rainwater while also recharging groundwater supply all of which ensure sustainability in water consumption.

Organizations like GAN have truly understood and implemented that “Impactful solutions begin with sustainability.”

BODH BIKRAM THAPA

Buddha Chowk, Nakkhu

SmartPaani Biosand filter is simple to use and easy to clean. It is efficient and costfriendly compared to its counterparts. I recommend this to everyone,” says Colonel Bodh Bikram Thapa.

System – Biosand Filtration

About two and a half years ago, Mr. Thapa, moved to his new house in Buddha Chowk, Nakkhu. The first thing that captured his attention, his well was filled with water to its brim. However, the well water had high iron content and needed filtration to be fit for use.

Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) water supply distributed water once in every two weeks in his locality, which lasted less than a week. There was no alternative other than to buy the water tanker, which is a high recurring cost.

Mr. Thapa wanted a more reliable solution for his water needs. In this attempt, he explored all available solutions in the market. He found out that the most common ones had a robust metallic body but ironically would themselves rust with the iron content of the water. Others would require two pumps and a daily back flush. They were effective, but they were also less convenient and more expensive.

Exploring a more reliable option, he continued his search and eventually found SmartPaani through the internet. He signed up for a free assessment, was convinced and installed the SmartPaani Biosand system within 10 days. He found Biosand filter to be the best option among the rest. A year later, when SmartPaani team met him for client satisfaction and product review, he explains, “I recommend this to everybody.”

We further inquired on how often he cleans his Biosand filter, he answered ,”Once in every 2-3 days”.
“Do you find it difficult to clean?” asked our team.
“No. That’s why I have not felt the need for an AMC (annual maintenance contract)”. He chuckles and adds, “the content of iron in our well water is very high but it gets filtered effectively. That’s the beauty of Biosand filter.”

SARAD RANA

Sanepa

Mr. Sarad Rana, a Non-Residential Nepali came back to Nepal to take care of his house. He had rented his house to expats and wanted to ensure the provision of quality services to his tenants.

Mr. Rana knew that quality life begins with good health and good health starts with consumption of pure water. As a resident of London, he was habituated to drinking water which was filtered twice and had healthy amount of fluoride in it. On the contrary, in Nepal, the wellwater in his home had huge amount of iron which made it unfit for drinking and visibly unappealing for other purposes along with damaging the fixtures and plumbing of his home.

The high iron content got him tensed about the health of his family and his tenants. As an ardent believer of ‘Prevention is better than cure’, he started looking for a water filtration solution.

In January 2016, he installed a biosand filter from SmartPaani to filter the water of his house which is located in Sanepa. Having visited the village areas of Nepal, he was amazed by how the natural resources purified the water alongside preserving the essential nutrients. This increased his curiosity about Biosand Filter of SmartPaani which makes use of sand and natural processes.

Today, he is satisfied with the decision he made. When he comes back to Nepal, he makes sure he consumes only the water from his house. While he compared the water supply of his house to that of his father-in-law’s house, where Reverse Osmosis (RO) is used, he noticed that the water there wasn’t always clean which only strengthened his trust in the biosand filter.

Mr. Rana encourages other people who want sustainable, healthy and clean water to work with SmartPaani. He said, “For people that are health conscious and careful about their water consumption, SmartPaani’s services are local, natural and a reliable option.”

SHARDA RIJAL

Chunidevi,Bungamati

Sustainable living is a lifestyle which aims to reduce the use of earth’s natural resources. It helps us reduce carbon footprint by changing the way we consume energy, from the medium of transportation to our diet. The concept of sustainable living is also growing in Nepal.

Ms. Sharda Rijal, Executive Director of Center for media freedom, is one person who avidly follows and promotes sustainable living. From sustainable water usage to driving a green vehicle; she definitely has one of the most eco-friendly homes in the community.

She explains, “I always had a growing awareness of the burgeoning water crisis in Kathmandu Valley. When I moved to my new house, community and government water supply was not available. I was spending money on tanker water.”

In order to fulfill her household water demand from drinking to utility purpose, she needed a sustainable water solution. Being a reporter she recalls creating stories on ecofriendly approaches for city dwellers, from there it took her a simple Google search to find SmartPaani. She found out about its services like groundwater filtration, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling. Presently, it’s been 3 months that she has all three systems at her residence in Bungamati.

She softly shares, “Compared to the cost of building a house, cost of installing these systems are negligible. But the benefit of these systems far exceeds the cost. The rainwater harvesting system provides more than 116,480 Liters of water annually. After using what we need, we recharge our ground well. During dry seasons we use well water with the help of biosand filter.”

Their greywater system recycles 80% of the daily water for reuse. They use recycled water for washing vehicles and gardening purpose. When SmartPaani’s team met Ms. Rijal she mentioned: “I recommend this to everybody.”

Sustainable living comes with numerous benefits from the promise of good health to reduced costs. It also reduces the impact on our environment. In a country like Nepal, where both access to and the quality of water are major issues, we need sustainable water solutions in every household. Although households consume less water compared to hotels or hospitals they definitely make a significant impact on our society.

SmartPaani helps both new and existing homes by providing them cost-effective solutions that enables them to be more water interdependent.

KESHAB DANGOL

Khusibu, Shorakhutte

Mr. Dangol, an IT specialist by profession found out about SmartPaani’s through his client. When he saw the rainwater harvesting and groundwater filtration system at Pioneer Law Associates, he was fascinated. Two days later he contacted one of our senior technicians and asked for a free site assessment. He recalls his request was promptly addressed and was patiently briefed about the layout and filtration process by technical experts.

“Renting your house to a corporate office or expats can generate lucrative passive income but you have to consider the needs of tenants, first. A steady supply of utility water is one of those priorities. SmartPaani’s filtration system is economical and does not use chemicals, unlike its contemporaries, to treat well water. Therefore, I selected SmartPaani”, says our customer Mr. Keshab Dangol from Khusibu, Shorakhutte.

Mr. Dangol has SmartPaani’s Biosand filter which provides 4000 liters of clean water, daily. The excess water is stored in the reserve tank for future use. Mr. Dangol later shared “The building we leased does not have an underground reserve tank. But as per the technical advice received, we used 7500 Liter storage tank. This has worked for us tremendously. Otherwise, we would have spent almost double the amount in building a concrete reserve tank.”

He explains he is satisfied with the water quality and cleans the filter once a week. The NCC bank and 3 other small shops, occupying the building, all have access to filtered water.

NARMANI PRADHAN

Mehpi

How many times have we passed across a building with yellow stains on it or how many times have we got to repaint the house because of the yellow stains on the building?

Mr. Narmani Pradhan from Mehpi, took notice of how in his neighborhood, the iron content in water was so high that it left all the houses in his vicinity with yellow stains. The sight of those yellow patches disgusted Mr. Narmani and he knew that he had take a step towards filtering the water in his house to remove the huge iron content in it.

The yellow patches in the building are a miniature effect of huge iron in water. The yellow water that comes from faucets when the iron content is high not only looks disgusting but can also taste bitter and create skin irritation.

Iron leaves a stain on almost everything, on the clothes after you wash them, on the dishes, on the buildings and the pipes. The water pipelines start to have huge iron residue as a result of which they can clog.

These were reasons enough for Mr. Pradhan to choose the biosand filter from SmartPaani. The biosand filter in his house has managed to filter the ground water, reducing the level of iron to normal and safe to use.

Additionally, he could not bear the fact of rainwater draining away during monsoon. “So much water goes to drain or floods the pavements and I wanted to trap and use that rainwater. Therefore when I built this house, I laid the gutters to conveniently route the rainwater for filtration purpose. Shortly after, I called SmartPaani and installed their rainwater harvesting system as well.” says Mr. Pradhan. With the intension of not wasting single drop of rainwater, the excess rainwater is being diverted to the well.

With the systems installed Mr. Pradhan has a fully sustainable water solution at his residence. His daily needs during monsoon is being met by rainwater. And by recharging the excess rainwater, he adds to the shallow groundwater table. During the dry season he uses the groundwater to meet his needs.

Rainwater collected and harvested annually: 142,699 liters

Groundwater filtered per day: 1000 liters

THE VALUE OF RAINWATER-HOTEL HERANYA LAKU

Mangalbazar, Lalitpur

There is no space to dig a well or even a boring and with much gratitude Mr.Ravi Manandar uses harvested rainwater for cleaning and washing at his Hotel Heranya Laku.

Since he installed rainwater harvesting system his life in Kathmandu has gotten so much easier. Even though he has not started using it for drinking yet, it still saves him from spending money for a tanker water that cannot always be reliable and drinkable.

He mentions, “I don’t see whether they fill the tank straight from the river or they undergo the filtration process, I am unsure of the water that I am drinking but in the case of rainwater harvesting system I am always around to see it and this clean water might even be drinkable.”
He mostly uses the collected rainwater for cleaning and shower but also uses for boiling noodles and beans. He is very satisfied with the quality of rainwater from the SmartPaani rainwater filter.

He finds it difficult to get a tanker water service, he has to send a call 3 days before. He even said that he doesn’t use any water devices at his own house. His wife collects rainwater using the old traditional way and saves their half the expenses. Rainwater potentially harvestable from the roof should be conserved rather than letting it drain to waste. For Mr. Ravi Manandar, it helps him in reducing water supply load and insecurity. The water quality is effectively good. Climate change is intensifying the pressure of water scarcity and choosing an alternative for him reassures that he has enough water to run his restaurant and hotel.

“Frankly speaking, I have cleaned the rainwater harvesting system only one time and I don’t see any problems from installing this system.”

His rooftop is exactly 650 square feet and fro that he collects 104,000 liters of rainwater, enough to run his restaurant. He is proud to know that his rooftop is a potential powerhouse of rainwater conservation.

To the delight of his rainwater harvesting system installation, he hasn’t experienced many problems and advices others to do the same.

KOPILA VALLEY SCHOOL-WATER, A SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEMS

Surkhet

Paving the way for Nepal’s green school movement is a school that works to educate underprivileged children and orphans in the western region of the country. The new Kopila Valley School Campus, located in Surkhet, educates and provide facilities and opportunities for over 400 kids, and has designed a school that is 100% eco-friendly.

With the motto of “Conserve every drop,” the school collaborated with SmartPaani for developing a sustainable water management solution for the campus.

One of the systems designed was to treat the wastewater at Kopila Valley School. One was for toilet water and the other one was for Grey water. Grey water is wastewater that is discharged from sinks, showers, baths, washing machines or dishwashers. The main purpose of greywater recycling is to substitute valuable treated drinking water in applications which do not require drinking water quality. Greywater from baths, sinks, washing machines has to be collected separately from blackwater, it must be treated for reuse as a non-potable water source. In Kopila Valley Greywater is recycled for flushing the toilets. Following this the toilet water is treated and used for landscaping. Water that is not drinkable doesn’t go to waste, they recycle it and make is usable for many purposes. This way they have plenty of water to rely on.

People are now increasingly drawing underground water, this results to drying up the well and ground subsidence. From now on, our concern should be on water security, just like Kopila Valley is. SmartPaani helped design a tank of 300,000 liters for harvested rainwater storage for portable use for this School. This provides the majority of water requirement for the school when coupled with the recycled water.

Drinking water is of equal importance. In a world where there is a growing reliance on plastic, Kopila Valley chose the opposite. SmartPaani installed two Biosand filters and an Ultrafilter for drinking water. Dirty water is not an obstacle, all the children at this school have access to clean water for them to study with reliable good health.

Do you have a solution to reduce and prevent water shortage?

The simple richness of rainfall availability makes rainwater harvesting such a powerful technology, therefore in 2011 SmartPaani was inspired with desire to provide clean water at such places where there is lack of availability of water resources.

“The systems are working properly and I’m excited that we are being more responsible about our water usage, ” reported Jamie MacDonald, sustainability director of Kopila Valley.

By using less boring well water,more rainwater and recycling water, Kopila Valley is carrying the responsibility and showing the country the right steps for better water management. The school takes pride in mentioning that their wastewater isn’t a waste, but actually a resource to plants to grow greener and flourish.

RABI GORKHALI

Greenhill City, Mulpani

The quality of water from SmartPaani’s Biosand filter is far better which is why we decided to install SmartPaani’s system,” Says Mr. Rabi Gorkhali from Greenhill City, Mulpani.

The groundwater supply is often more convenient and less expensive than water distributed by the colony. Therefore many houses in Greenhill city have their own well and boring option to meet their water demands. However, the quality of the groundwater is deplorable. The water appears clear when drawn, but once exposed to air it turns yellow due to iron.

Mr. Gorkhali also noticed a high level of iron in his boring water. Therefore, he installed SmartPaani’s Biosand filter to treat his boring water. He recalls his relatives at Mulpani using a different kind of filter but when compared he noticed the quality of water was much better from SmartPaani’s Biosand filter. “Our boring water has a strong smell but the water that comes out from the filter does not have any odor.” Shares Mr. Gorkhali.

The system provides 2000 liters of clean utility water. Mr. Gorkhali uses the water for his daily needs and stores the excess in his reserve tank. “I have a small family. We only need 500 liters of water per day but during Saturday’s we need more water. I have not faced any shortage of water after installation. Additionally, I have noticed due to the quality of water the filter needs to be cleaned once in 15 days, which is not bad.”, mentions Mr. Gorkhali.

SASHENDRA DANGOL

Pulchowk, Lalitpur

Chandra Krishna Dangol’s underground water tank was never full. The government supply lines would provide water only once a week and that too for not more than 5 to 15 minutes when divided with houses in a lower elevation.

Mr. Dangol like many in the Kathmandu Valley was dependent on tanker water supply. But even buying tanker water was not easy. When his regular supplier switched off his mobile phone, the new suppliers would often ignore or deny his requests because of the growing demand. This compelled him to look for a more sustainable alternative.

“During the time of the monsoon, I would usually notice how much water would go to waste from the roof of our house. Therefore, I decided to collect the rainwater and use it for domestic use” says Mr. Dangol. He also noticed the rainwater collection would have dark sediments, dirt, and debris washed from the roof. Thus his son, Sashendra Dangol, while searching for rainwater harvesting system found SmartPaani on the internet.

During the site assessment, He found the SmartPaani’s filtration process easy and effective and with SmartPaani’s technical inputs he changed from a 1-inch to 3-inch PVC collection pipe, allowing him to collect more water.

Mr. Dangol now collects more than 71,000 Liters of rainwater annually and He easily saves more than two tankers of water each month. Delighted Mr. Dangol mentions “Yesterday’s rainfall has refilled my water tanks up to the brim. It brings much joy to see the tank full every time it rains during the monsoon”

SAPANA SHAKYA

Kathmandu

Six years, it’s been six years since we moved here and installed this BSF and RSF (Biosand filter and Rapidsand filter). Now, we don’t have to worry about it. There is so little that we need to worry about since we have an annual maintenance contract with SmartPaani,” informed Sapna Shakya’s mom. In their old house water was a big issue and such a hassle.

They have installed both the Rainwater harvesting system and the Biosand filter and these are very reliable for them. They have a big family, and sometimes during the dry months, the water is not sufficient. But, whatever be the problem, they try their best to find a sustainable way to get more water. They don’t trust the tanker water or jar water so they minimize their water usage and are very conscious. Even the jar water that is assured to be very pure is not so pure is what the family believes. There were moments when they would find contamination of dirt or green-layers.

They use treated water for all household needs. The Biosand filter has assisted them in getting rid of the high contamination of Iron from their water. They haven’t had a chance to deal or worry about situations where the water smelled a little unpleasant, stained everywhere, or leaked. These two systems are very reliable and a perfect fit for those who believe in sustainability.

During monsoon, it makes her so happy that she is collecting all the rainwater and using it. Six years of not buying any tanker water or jar water have saved them a lot of expenses. “The largest challenge that Nepal faces today is the mismanagement of water sources. Impure water brings uncountable and untreatable diseases, and it is up to us to find a way to solve these problems. So in these challenges, I think SmartPaani has found a way and is doing a great job,” reported Sapana Shakya’s mom.

As far as this method of water treating and collecting is concerned, her family is living with plenty of water and they are worry-free. The whole system has been up and running since 2014 and regular support from the maintenance team of SmartPaani makes it perfectly adequate for their needs. They fully rely on the rainwater harvesting system and Biosand Filter for their domestic use. This has allowed them not to depend on the government, be financially active, and focus more on fulfilling their  sustainability goals.

ROSHA CHITRAKAR

Tahachal, Kathmandu

It has been eight years, but the system works fine and the water quality is great.” says Rosha Chitrakar, one of SmartPaani’s earliest clients. She has been using SmartPaani’s groundwater filtration system at her residence in Tahachal since 2012.

The government water supply at her residence was erratic, barely sufficient. Like many, in the community, she had to bank on tanker water suppliers. But the arrangement, apart from a recurring cost, had its own concern. The quality of tanker water seemed okay for the first few occasions, but most of the time water appeared oily and turbid. The thought of contaminated water flowing through the faucets of her kitchen made her caution and look for a better water management solution.

Ms. Chitrakar saw a Facebook post from a friend, Suman Shakya (Co-founder of SmartPaani) about well water treatment. She was not using her well water then. In a friendly banter she asked, Mr. Shakya, If SmartPaani could remove the iron from well water. Mr. Shakya then arranged a meeting for a site assessment where, she learned more about the filtration process and within a few days, she decided to work with Smartpaani instead of other filtration companies.

“It’s not only about the product. The people behind the product equally counts, if not more. The understanding and assurance received during the site assessment provided me the reassurance that I could work with their team for the long run, thus I choose SmartPaani.” Says Ms. Chitrakar.

Clear water is not the same as clean water. It’s difficult, sometimes impossible, to determine the quality of tanker water (filtered in a remote location). The ability to see the filtration process as opposed to consuming water from an unidentified source can be potentially harmful to our loved ones and pets. Therefore, Ms. Chitrakar trusts her filtration system at home better.

She explains, “The service of SmartPaani is quick and reliable, every 3 months I get a maintenance visit from a qualified technician. They clean the system and I don’t have to worry about the rest.

SELF-SUSTENANCE STARTS WITH WATER

Dhapakhel, Lalitpur

Located in Dhapakhel, Tewa is a non-profit organization that works towards women empowerment in rural as well as urban communities of Nepal. It practices modern philanthropy by minimizing social cost for a self-reliant development.

The facility manager of Tewa, Mr. Nirjan Shakya explains “We practice culture of sustainability from growing our organic vegetables to harvesting rain for better water management. As a result we have managed to significantly reduce our operating cost in Tewa.”

This very concept of sustainability is what lead them to SmartPaani. The government pipelines would barely supply 2000 to 3000 liters of water in week where as their facility with more than 40 employees and frequent guests requires more than 3000 liters of water daily. Considering this deficit, Tewa consulted with SmartPaani’s technical team in July 2015 and made the provision to catch rainwater from all of their infrastructure.

The facility now uses 400,000 liters of rainwater annually which is close to 34 tankers of water. Mr. Shakya shares “The rainwater is clean as we always keep the gutters clean and do a routine maintenance of the system. It’s easy and our cost of repair and replacement in 4 years is zero.”

SASHI RANA MCLAREN

THECHO, LALITPUR

Our Rainwater harvesting System is as old as our house, 2 years. We built this house with a gutter system with the thought of being sustainable and harvesting rainwater. My entire house functions on Rainwater. We use it for washing, cooking, cleaning, and even drinking.”

What great thought to conserve rain and store it for later use. Rainwater harvesting is an age-old practice in Nepal, but it was mainly collected in ponds and used for irrigation. In recent years, rainwater collection for domestic use has been promoted with better research, technologies, and skills. Sustainable water management requires understanding the value of rain, and to make optimum use of rainwater at places where there is a dire need for water.

Sashi Rana McLaren came to know about SmartPaani when she was searching for some support to help her harvest rainwater. Even if most of the rain is concentrated in four months during the monsoon season and additional showers throughout the year, rain has provided enough water to be used for her household purposes.

Her rainwater collection tank is 40,000-liter which collects enough rainwater that lasts her and her entire family for 7 months. The System is affordable, easy to use, and functions astoundingly. She never has to worry about not having enough water, unlike her neighbors.

She notices people around her using water from their wells. And these wells tend to dry often. These wells can be replenished by putting in the excess rainwater, also known as recharging.

She also has SmartPaani’s Greywater System. She recycles water from her laundry, and basins and uses it for flushing, washing, and gardening. She recommends this system for bigger households and hotels. She emphasizes that these systems are not only a sustainable way of living but can also help you save money. She adds SmartPaani’s regular maintenance visits help the system function without any trouble and recommends these systems to every household.

We can create a better world around us that doesn’t have to suffer water scarcity. Sashi Rana McLaren is an example of how we can do it. It’s not too late to start harvesting rainwater.  All it takes is for us to be more sustainable and more observant of the current situation. In the midst of summer and water scarcity, there will always be an alternative solution.

Rain is refreshment that braces us up when we are helpless and water is scarce.

BISHAL GHIMIRE

Kathmandu, Nepal

“I strongly believe in conservation of natural resources, which aided me in saving 50% of my electricity by using solar energy. Installing a Rainwater Harvesting System was next on my list.” Bishal Ghimire

In the last few decades, water demand across the world has been increasing due to several factors, such as population growth, urbanization, change in socio-economic conditions, and climate variability and changes.

In the present scenario, we are facing a water crisis every single day. In the absence of recharging, sustaining, and conserving, groundwater is depleting.

As our client Bishal Ghimire faced water problems in his life, one of the most logical steps he took is acknowledging the importance of rainwater harvesting by installing it at his own home. He has been able to save his expenses on water and electricity after installing SmartPaani’s Rainwater Harvesting System. He acknowledges that the solution is a one-time and long-term investment. He is looking forward to the upcoming monsoon season where he will be able to collect Rainwater in his Reservoir Tank and use it for various household purposes.

Rainwater harvesting is one of the most effective methods of water management and water conservation. And if rainwater is harvested, it can aid substantially in managing the scarcity of water.

Bishal Ghimire highlights that from his one-time upfront investment he will have long-term peace of mind and cost breakeven will happen soon. He also realizes that even during this winter he collected a few thousand liters in his reservoir tank.

“With the SmartPaani Rainwater Harvesting System, I am able to collect thousands of liters in my tank without running a water pump.”

VEENA BASNET

Pulchowk, Lalitpur

Passive income from a rental property is a great source of income, but there are certain responsibilities that one must fulfill as a landlord. Access to clean water for your tenants is one of them. Therefore, Veena Basnet installed the SmartPaani’s groundwater filtration system before renting her property in Pulchowk.

Earlier, Ms. Basnet’s potential tenants would feel hesitant with the thought of using well water. It had a bad smell and would leave stubborn yellow stains on their bathroom floors and tiles. She, upon the recommendation from her family friend, installed SmartPaani’s system in 2014.

The system not only removed the iron and turbidity from her well water but also, with four-layers of filtration, reduced the pathogens normally present in the groundwater.

The occupants, genuinely concerned about the water quality, are at easy knowing the filtration system works naturally using no chemicals.

Ms. Basnet became SmartPaani’s repeat client in 2015.

When the government water supply became insufficient for her private residence in Jawalakhel, she immediately called SmartPaani office and fixed the date for a free site assessment. The system installation was completed within a week’s time and she also added a euro guard filter in her kitchen to further treat the filtered water for the purpose of drinking.

She says, “The well water at home is not bad, but SmartPaani’s filter has made it even better.”

Recently, she added a cooper tripti filter from SmartPaani. However her tenants have been using it for 04 years now. They learned about the system through a different source and since then then have been using Tripti filter to drink and cook with their Biosand filtered well water. Tripti is a portable filter made from the Silver Nanotechnology (colloidal silver) and has activated carbon, known to improve the taste of water. Ms. Basnet recently did a water test and all the parameters met the national standard for drinking water.

She mentions, “The follow up from SmartPaani is regular and timely. I received three free maintenance from SmartPaani where the technicians also guide us through the simple and easy steps to clean the filter.”

PRALAD PANTA

Ichangu, Kathmandu

Systems – Rainwater Harvesting, Biosand Filtration, Groundwater Recharge

Like most of the valley citizens, Pralad Panta’s water problems are not a new one. There is no municipality supply of water rather a common tap from a nearby water source that comes for only 3 hours. Within this span all the households in the community have to collect water. He had a huge water problem then and so was considering installing a rainwater harvesting system in his house. He came in contact with Mr. Gokul Dangal, Senior Technician of SmartPaani.

The SmartPaani team has installed Rainwater Harvesting and Biosand filteration systems along with groundwater recharge. For a family of two and three more living on a rent, rainwater and well water is enough to fulfill his daily water needs. He is happy with the system and has recommended his neighbors to install them at their houses.

His say on SmartPaani services,  “Water scarcity will no more be a problem if everyone uses these systems.”

Bishnu Ale

Kathmandu , Nepal

With the SmartPaani Rainwater Harvesting System, I am able to collect thousands of liters in my tank without running a water pump

ASIA-FOUNDATION NEPAL

Baluwatar, Kathmandu

Asia foundation-Nepal is located at Baluwatar, Kathmandu. The ever increasing water demand and decreasing quality and quantity of water supply for the city was one of the main problem for the institution. Buying 2-3 tankers of water each week was certainly not a cheap deal. Asia Foundation contacted Smartpaani (One Planet Solution Pvt. Ltd.) to install Rain Water Harvesting in their 3 buildings in 2012. The dividends can now be seen; they have not bought any tankers since this monsoon started, equivalent to a saving of around NRs 5000 a week.

They have 2 rainwater harvesting systems installed, each with SmartPaani rapid sand filters. One system supplies their building’s main supply, while the second is used for vehicle washing and other outdoor uses. The systems help the Asia Foundation move toward their goals of reducing their environmental footprint, both saving them water and fuel emissions associated with tanker water purchases. Additionally, saving 5000 rupees a week for the whole monsoon has made the system economically beneficial to the institution

BINOD BHATTARAI

Sanepa, Lalitpur

Systems – Rainwater Harvesting and Biosand Filtration

With a background in the media and a lecturer at Ace Institute of Management, Binod Bhattarai is a well-known name in the media. Since he already knew the benefits of Rainwater harvesting, he had installed the system 3 years ago, and from then onwards he never had to look back. His well water quality was not so bad, but drinking without filtering was out of the question. He has already installed filter that required electricity but in the city of frequent power cuts, he had problem filtering the water when there was no electricity.

His colleague Suman Shakya, CEO of SmartPaani had recently installed a biosand filter for his iron rich water well water at his own house.  And he was drinking the same water after filtration. This fact along with his own research on this system, Mr. Bhattarai installed Biosand filter in late January, 2012. His water filtration problem during load shedding is now solved forever.

His say on the systems installed: “I had done enough research about rainwater harvesting and biosand filters before installing, and I am satisfied with how things have come out to be.”

THE UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Kathmandu

In 2007-2008, One Planet Solution Pvt. Ltd. and SmartPaani Pvt. Ltd. International Advisor, Tyler McMahon, was a Fulbright Student Scholar studying urban rainwater harvesting. With the blessings of the management he helped coordinate the installation at the Fulbright Commission building, which Raju Dangol and Hem Shrestha installed. Excited by the performance of this the Fulbright hired Gokul Dangal and Hem Shrestha to install a second system in 2009. Both systems are still working today very well and the Fulbright has nearly recouped all of the money invested in the systems because of the reduced purchases of tankers of water. On the left is a letter of recommendation from Fulbright endorsing the technical capabilities of Raju, Gokul, and Hem. USEF is also considering a water recharge project from its other buildings and parking lot to improve the groundwater situation in the area.

BIOSAND FILTRATION AT THE PA NEPAL ORGANIC FARMHOUSE AND CAFE

PA Nepal Organic Farmhouse and Cafe

SmartPaani recently installed a biosand filter at the PA Nepal Organic Farmhouse and Cafe. Before the Cafe, an initiative to train and employ PA Nepal boys and girls, and also raise money for the organization, was purchasing 1-3 jars of water a day. At 50+ rupees per jar for questionable quality water, this was a fair amount of money. After installing SmartPaani’s biosand filtration, they now have drinkable water even for the international volunteers who stay at the cafe. This saves them money and even their neighbors have come by asking them for filtered water in jars instead of buying them from the store.

PA (Prisoner’s Assistance) Nepal is an organization that works for the rights of prisoners and their children. Their motto is “giving prisoners and their children a better today and a brighter future”. The organization was established in 2000 and has been recognized worldwide for its work. More information on the organization can be found at their website.

THE SUMMIT HOTEL

The Summit Hotel

In 2006, as part of the Rainwater Harvesting Campaign, One Planet Solution’s Raju Dangol, consulted on the installation of a large rainwater harvesting system at the Summit Hotel. The system’s performance was received well by Hotel management, but they were interested in ways to expand the system and also reduce the overflow from the filters. In 2010, Tyler consulted with the management team at the Hotel to work on various efforts to make the hotel more environmentally friendly. One of the issues identified was the expansion of the current rainwater harvesting system, to address the overflow and increase capacity. For this Summit Hotel hired Raju, Hem, and Gokul as consultants.

The team has also completed multiple designs for greywater recycling systems for the hotel to significantly reduce their demand for water purchases. Because of the recent change in ownership and management, the designs have not yet been implemented.

SHREE SARASWATI H.S. SCHOOL,THECHO,CHAPAGAUN:A COMPLETE RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

Thecho,Chapagaun

Rainwater harvesting is not just about rainwater for immediate collection and use, it is also about mimicking the natural water cycle by promoting groundwater recharge. Every time a road is paved or house is built, the rain that used to percolate into the groundwater is blocked and sent to the sewer. Using Rotary Club Funding, One Planet Solution Technicians, Gokul, Raju, and Hem designed and installed a complete rainwater harvesting system at Saraswati School in Chapagoan. The system has the following components:

Rainwater Collection – Rainfall from one roof is filtered and collected in the school’s water tank

Groundwater Recharge – The remaining rainfall from all other surfaces (rooftops and ground areas) is directed to recharge and filtration pits that recharge the well that provides water for the school. This helps sustain the well water supply year round.

Biosand Filtration – Rainwater is then filtered after collection by a biosand filter for students to drink. Well water is filtered during the non-rainy months for the same purpose.

Saraswati School has a complete rainwater harvesting system. All of the water on the school properly is collected and/or recharged into the ground, promoting proper management of a scarce resource. One Planet Solution Pvt. Ltd. will provide ongoing maintenance of the system for the school.

CLARK MEMORIAL HIMALAYA SCHOOL

Bungamati

The number of students in this school is about 250. The sources of water for this school are tanker and well. The students from this school were drinking water without any filtration before SmartPaani Systems were installed.

The SmartPaani Systems that were installed in this school are Rain Water Harvesting System, BioSand Filtration System and Recharge. The catchment area of this school for harvesting rainwater is about 1,447 square feet.  The systems were installed during the month of Ashoj in 2069 B.S.

Currently, the students are drinking rainwater filtered through BioSand Filter during monsoon and they are drinking well water filtered through BioSand Filter during dry season. The school only buys one or two tanker a year during dry period.

The installation of SmartPaani system reduced the purchase of tanker for the school and meantime students are drinking clean drinking water filtered through BioSand Filter throughout the year.  The recharge component of the system is recharging 18,00,000 liters of rainwater every year.

SHREE YUVA PRATIVA MA. VI., KHOKANA,LALITPUR

Khokana,Lalitpur

The number of students in this school is 224.  The water source of this school is water supply line.  They face water scarcity throughout the year due to unreliable water supply by the water supply line.  Students were drinking water provided by water supply line directly without any kind of filtration before installation of SmartPaani Systems.

The SmartPaani Systems that were installed in this school were Rain Water Harvesting System, BioSand Filtration System and Recharge. The catchment area of this school for harvesting rainwater is about 1,125 square feet.  The systems were installed during the month of Ashoj in 2069 B.S.

Currently students are drinking rainwater filtered through BioSand Filter during monsoon. Whenever water from water supply line is available they drink it after filtration through BioSand Filter. The water scarcity problem is not prolonged as before for the school now. The recharge component in this school is recharging 15, 00,000 liters per year.

YMBA INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST SCHOOL

Lagankhel

YMBA, located in Lagankhel is a school that has a religious background which focuses on the fundamental learning of Buddha’s teaching. With 179 students and 30 staff members, YMBA was always in a water crisis.

Mr. Chandramani, Principal at YMBA shares, ‘It was impossible for us to fulfil our basic necessities at the school solely on the government water supplies. Being a religious school, we often gave the KUKL water supply away to the ones who were in need around our surrounding that left us in despair.’

This left the school with no option but to buy water tankers, as the school is funded by donations this was an extra financial burden. Having heard about rainwater harvesting the school approached SmartPaani for the system.

A/Bareness, a Norwegian fashion company working with local producers in Nepal to produce ethically sourced clothing and jewelry, funded the system. A/Bareness works with SmartPaani #coolkidsneedcleanwater campaign to fund the rainwater harvesting and water filtration systems at schools.

The installation started in April 2015. With monsoon right around the corner, the installations were done overnight and as soon as the clouds hovered around the school, they hoped it would rain.

Once it started raining, there were smiles spread across the YMBA members. Their costs of buying two tankers a week were nullified and at times, there was so much rainwater collected that they had to think of a solution for the water that was overflowing. Next, they started with recharging the well that was idle in their compound as the water ran dry several years ago as an alternative reservoir.

The collected rainwater is being used in the kitchen, toilets and other basic needs. The water is being filtered in the kitchen through an advance technology which makes it drinkable and safe.

It has been 5 months since the installation and they have not bought a single tank of water till date. This saves YMBA a lot of money to use for other necessities around the school.

Tanker cost: 1600 for 8000 liters II Units per month: 8 II Cost per month: 12,800
Monsoon: 5 months II Total savings: 64,000

abareness.com

HOTEL HERANYA

HH Location

Hotel Heranya is nestled behind the Narayanhiti Palace and is home for several tourists travelling to Nepal for vacation. With good quality of water on their priority list, the hotel made a capital investment and installed a rain water harvesting system about a year ago. With a separate filtration unit set up at their premises set up by SmartPaani, that changes harsh ground water fit to be used for various household purposes, Hotel Heranya’s guests have plentiful supply of water even during the driest of seasons. The filtration system does its work throughout the dry season while the rain lets them utilize up to 2 lakh litres every year, for free. Mr.Sunil Shakya, the man behind the running the  show at the hotel states that he is saving NPR 24,000 on every lakh liters of water being used by the hotel.

Owner of Hotel Heranya, Mahendra Sakya suggests, ‘Before opting for SmartPaani’s services, we used a very primitive filtration unit that was not as great and the water was just used for cleaning purposes. After having interviewed 5-6 service providers for a filtration unit which functioned around Kathmandu, we settled for SmartPaani and the return on investment is great!’

The hotel that is listed 5^th among thousands in Trip Advisor is proactively engaging in eco—friendly business practices and aims to minimize it’s carbon footprint through such adoptions. The highest occupancy they have had in the past is around 67 percent occupancy while the lowest hovered around 15 percent. The Hotel has already recovered 50% costs of their initial investment on the system in less than a year. Kathmandu rain, that is said to be acid-free, has benefitted the hotel kitchen as well. The Bent Fork, a restaurant that runs within the premises and also doubles up as the hotel kitchen uses the filtered water to wash utensils and dishes. The kitchen chef suggested that she uses the treated rainwater and ground water to wash her utensils and often cook food.

If you want to turn your brand into an ‘Eco-friendly’ brand, SmartPaani can help!

ROI: Within a year

NPR 24,000 saved per 1 lakh liter of water

TASNEEM’S KITCHEN

Jhamsikhel

I am waiting for the clouds to hover over Patan area so that my Rainwater harvesting system lets me collect as much rain as possible’ Tasneem Sahani, owner of Tasneem’s King Kitchen.

Tasneem states that she is very happy with the Rainwater harvesting system that is installed at her restaurant. She states that the water tankers are in a blue right now with the ongoing fuel crisis and it is impossible for her to get water from them. Installed over a year ago, Tasneem’s King Kitchen opted for Rainwater harvesting when they were revamping the restaurant when it started. Rainwater harvesting is something that needs time commitment and that was on Tasneem’s agenda as well, running the restaurant for years and years to come. And it made perfect sense to fit up the gutters when they started with the new place. With another filtration system set up, the collected water at Tasneem’s is used in the kitchen and for drinking purposes as well. Tasneem’s premises is an old style typical Kathmandu house which did not allow them to expand the reservoir capacity more than 10,000 litre  making them dependant on constant rain. On dry seasons, Sahani opts for water tanks but she is delighted during the monsoon as the rainwater comes for free and her installation investment has already been recovered. Thanking the Kathmandu weather and the unpredictable rain, she tells us that her reservoir is full after a 3-4 hour long rain. As for the overflowing water, the ground water recharge system allows the overflowing water to be collected in the well which rests in her compound. She made the smart choice at the right time by tapping the free falling rainwater and putting it to use.

Tasneem suggests,’ I have recommended SmartPaani to so many people till date; I can’t even keep a tab on that. And it is worth investing on!’

Tasneem is also one of those using a SmartChulo. It has been difficult for restaurants to run their kitchen due to the current unavailability of fuel including gas. While looking for options to run her kitchen, Sahani came across the SmartPaani’s post about SmartChulo. She has been cooking her delicious curries on the SmartChulo and surviving the fuel blues.

FATTOAMANO IN NEPAL PVT. LTD

Lalitpur, Nepal

Fattoamano in Nepal uses approximately 3000-4000 liters of water per day; most of which is used for dying cashmere / wool and cotton / linen. The effluent is laden with inorganic compounds with a very high BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Content) content. This is extremely harmful to the surrounding environment if left untreated. Due to lack of available services, the production center was discharging all the untreated water directly into the open sewer in the surrounding fields. To mitigate this, SmartPaani offered a solution that would possibly be called a step up for textile industries in Nepal.

The lack of large workable area and operational situations led us to resort to chemical treatment at Fattoamano. The treatment process uses simple dosing mechanisms that were reformed, analyzed and tailored by few site assessments; providing us a module that enabled any nonprofessional to work on the system with ease.

The system is robust and highly efficient in reducing concentrations of harmful constituents. After 3 month operation, the system was able to remove 91% Total Suspended Solids (TSS), 89% BOD, 88.4%COD and Chromium levels; to non-detectable. This has allowed the production centre to meet the wastewater standards as given by the Nepal government.

A light yellowish color is seen in the treated water; which is the iron and it is not harmful at the concentration as seen in the effluent. This is removed post-dosing by the filtration system designed and installed by SmartPaani. Even before the filter, the water meets the discharge standards of the Nepal Government.

“It takes no more than 10 minutes to perform the operation and yet, the effect is remarkable”, says the person in charge of the system in Fattoamano in Nepal. The company is satisfied with the results and they are happy to promote SmartPaani work.

Table: Raw and Treated Wastewater Test Results:

“With a wish to see other textile industries realizing the damage they are causing to the environment and the fact that they can do something about it.”

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK

Kathmandu

Kathmandu Valley has a daily requirement of more than 360 million liters per day. However; currently less than 50 per cent of the required supply is available from the municipal water supply. Furthermore, the groundwater level in the valley is being depleted at an alarming rate of average of 2.5 meters down annually, more than 3 times the sustainable recharge rate. As a result, it is important for the future of the valley that alternative sources of water are utilized.

The Lazimpat branch is one of the flagship buildings of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited (SCBNL) which was initially built with a deep borewell as the main source for water supply. The average annual requirement of the water in the building is 1.8 million litres. To reduce their impact on the deep groundwater source, a more sustainable system was installed in July 2014, rainwater harvesting and recharge.

The rainwater harvesting system collects 397,000 litres of rainwater annually, which directly reduces their dependence of deep groundwater.  The rainwater was collected in the existing reservoirs and to reap better benefits, the storage capacity of the premises was also extended. Additionally, the rainwater recharge system recharges 2.38 million litres of rainwater annually.  The excess rainwater is recharged through recharge pits, once water runs over the overflow point from the tank. Surface rainwater is also collected in these recharge pits, reducing flooding risks in the premises as well.

Seeing the benefits of the system at their Lazimpat branch, another rainwater harvesting system was installed at the head-office of the bank in New Baneshwor in 2016. This system collects 1,072,027 litres of water annually, reducing their demand from the water source there.

Since the bank has been an advocate of promoting sustainable solutions, and has ripped the benefits of sustainable water solutions, when the opportunity presented itself, the bank continued to expand and improve rainwater harvesting collection system in Lazimpat. During renovation work happening at the branch, the team realized the opportunity to add to the rainwater collection by adding the catchment of the renovated part. Addition of this catchment allows the bank to collect further 297,290 litres annually, making the total annual collection to be 687,290 litres, for the branch.

The bank, for their work with rainwater harvesting has won an award as the Top FTSE Financial Institution Climate Performance Leadership Index it 2014. It continues to look for new ways to reduce its impact, including working to promote sustainable water management within the staff with several installing the systems at their own homes as well.

The best way to reduce reliance on the deep groundwater is to reduce demand, Standard Chartered is doing that. In addition, they are managing stormwater and recharging rainwater to replenish the shallow aquifer in the area. If more institutions like them can follow this path, it will go a long way toward a sustainable solution for water management in Kathmandu.

Standard Chartered Bank’s Current Positive Impact to date:

Rainwater Collected Annually: 1,759,317 Litres

Lazimpat Branch – 687,290 litres or nearly 40% of their yearly demand

Baneshwor Branch – 1,072,027 litres or nearly 30-40% of their yearly demand

Rainwater Recharged Annually:  2.38 Million Liters

RAJ BASNET

Khusibu, Kathmandu

System- Rainwater Harevesting

Located at Khusibu, Felt and Yarn Pvt. Ltd specializes in handmade felt and recycled yarn products. It provides employment to more than 70 Nepalese women.

All of their products are free from chemical and toxin. But wet felting requires lots of water. Wet felting is a process of combining layers of wool roving or yarns into one piece of fabric, using water. The factory produces felt ball rugs, mattress and felt toys in large quantity. In order to complete the order in time and to ensure the finest quality of product, the factory requires 1500 liters of water daily. Sometimes even twice the average demand depending on the type of product and order size.

“It would require at least 1 liter of water to create 10 of these felted dog bone toys”, says Lolita Sherpa, from felt and yarn pvt.ltd.

There is no KUKL water supply connection in the area. And having found no water in the well, their only option was to buy tanker water. This significantly increased the cost of production. They already had laid the gutters and down pipes to catch and use the rainwater. But did not want to use it without the rainwater filtration system as that would adversely effect the dyeing process as well as quality of the felted fabric.

Considering the most viable alternative Mr. Raj Basnet, CEO of felt and yarn, decided to install SmartPaanis rainwater harvesting system at their factory on 2nd August 2018. With the rainwater harvesting system they can utilize up to 2 lakh liters every year, during the monsoon.

Mr. Basnet remarks “We are saving 25,000 rupees on every lakh liters of water consumed. I am satisfied with the SmartPaani’s system.”

The caretaker of the facility Mr. Ram Tamang shares, even during monsoon they used to call water tankers and let the precious rainwater go to waste earlier. But with the new rainwater harvesting setup, the factory and the staff have realized how useful rainwater can be.

“From being highly dependently on tanker water, twice weekly, to catching and using a clean rainwater through SmartPaani’s system was an immensely satisfying experience”, shares Mr. Basnet.