Name : Sharada School
Location : Bhaktapur
“This rainwater harvesting system is big relief for our school. Now we avoid water tanker purchases for at least 6 months and save 36000 rupees annually.”
Sharada Secondary School is located at Yalachen, ward no.2, Bhaktapur, Nepal. Water management is a serious problem at the school. The municipal water supply is unreliable and there are no other options on site. As a result, the school was completely reliant on tanker water purchases to meet their needs. The school spent a significant amount on water tankers. They used to buy 5 tankers (5000 L capacity) per month, costing NPR 1200 per tanker or 6000/month.
The water situation at the school improved significantly after the installation of rainwater harvesting system on August 2018. This school system was supported by A/Bareness Fashion and their #coolkidsneedcleanwater campaign implemented by SmartPaani. Each day 295 students and school staffs are benefitting from this system. During the monsoon the school completely avoids water tanker purchases. The collected rainwater water is further filtered out from Ultra filter (UF) and water is drinkable. The ultra filter system is supported by Splash International and maintained by SmartPaani. All school kids and staffs are drinking this water.
Roshan Raj Tui Tui (Principal) shares “This rainwater harvesting system is big relief for our school. Now we avoid water tanker purchases for at least 6 months and save 36000 rupees annually.”
Serving During COVID 19
Sharada School is serving as a temporary working station for police officer during this pandemic COVID 19. A few weeks ago, 2 police officers at Kalimati Police Station tested positive for COVID-19. After these cases, the police station was shut down to avoid the risk of spreading the disease. The government started using public schools as temporary workstations. At Bhaktapur district 4 public schools are being used as a temporary working station and Sharada Secondary School is one of them. Around 25 to 30 police officers benefit from rainwater harvesting system and ultra-filter, a complete solution for water management. Finally, the complete WASH infrastructure at the school including the proper drinking and handwashing stations supported by Splash has helped maintain important hygiene habits.
