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Our Projects · Rainwater for WASH

Blue Schools ChitwanJanapriya (Tobang) and Adarsha

Blue School

Two schools in Chitwan District gained rainwater tanks, new toilets and handwashing stations, built with Kanchan Nepal and the school communities.

CompletedRainwater for WASH2022–2024 (Adarsha completed in December 2023)
© Kanchan Nepal
WhereChitwan District, Nepal – Janapriya school in Tobang and Adarsha Basic School in Dahakhani
When2022–2024 (Adarsha completed in December 2023)
WithKanchan Nepal, school management, parents, pupils and local authorities
Rainfall≈ 1,500 mm a year in Nepalnational average, World Bank; local figure to add

Results

  • 2rainwater tanks at Janapriya

The Challenge

Around Tobang, in the hills of Chitwan District, Chepang communities find it hard to make a living, and the landscape has few trees. At Janapriya school, the toilets needed rehabilitating and there was no system to collect and store rainwater. Adarsha Basic School lies 25 km along a gravel road from the Narayanghat–Mugling Highway, and its old toilet blocks had to be replaced.

Average monthly rainfall and temperature in Nepal, 1991–2020
Rain in Nepal: about 1,500 mm a year, mostly June to September (monsoon). Source: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (observed 1991–2020) and World Bank average precipitation.

What We Did

  • Janapriya, Tobang: built two rainwater tanks, a roof that serves as a catchment area, a new sanitation block and a handwashing system.
  • Installed an automatic weather station at Janapriya, a secondary school, so that pupils can use rainfall data for practical projects in class.
  • Adarsha: set up a PACT committee (Parents, Authorities, Children and Teachers) of seven members, which signed the agreement with Kanchan Nepal on 12 October 2023.
  • Built rainwater harvesting, sanitation and handwashing facilities at Adarsha. Community members first levelled the old toilets, and terracing prepared the site.
  • Planned school gardens with a polyhouse, tree planting under 'A child, a tree', a volleyball court and 3D mapping of the area.
  • Ran training on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), including a session for about 37 secondary pupils, with sessions also planned on waste management, ecological sanitation and off-season vegetables.

Results

  • Pupils and teachers at both schools now have rainwater, toilets and handwashing facilities.
  • In April 2024, children at Adarsha were using the water and toilets, and the headmaster and teachers were pleased with the result.
  • Data from the Janapriya weather station will help improve local weather forecasts.
  • to verify: final figures per school to verify: school name – Janapriya/Adarsha (Chitwan) or Janajyoti (Kaski)

थोपा थोपा गर्दा घैँटो भरिन्छ।

“Drop by drop, the water jar fills.”

Nepali proverbproverb: wording and translation to check with our local partner

On the Ground

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Sushmita in her blue school classroom with other girls after gaining access to water · © Kanchan Nepal
When captured, filtered, and stored, it sustains households, feeds crops, and recharges soils. When guided through terraces, bunds, or vegetative barriers, it prevents erosion and floods. When combined with trees, roots, and local knowledge, it brings life back to degraded land. These techniques are applied in highlands, midlands, drylands, and even cities, proving that rainwater harvesting is relevant and efficient everywhere ! In schools, on farms, and across fragile ecosystems, nature-based and community-led approaches form IRHA’s Water–Soil–Tree Triptych, a living cycle where each element supports the other and strengthens ecosystem resilience · © Kanchan Nepal
Sushmita carrying a large basket across a field while fetching water in Nepal · © Kanchan Nepal
Sushmita carrying a water basket in the Himalayan mountains during her daily journey · © Kanchan Nepal
Sushmita carrying a water basket while looking up at the sky during her journey in Nepal · © Kanchan Nepal
Sushmita holding her younger sibling at home after returning from collecting water · © Kanchan Nepal

Partners and Funders

  • Implementing partner: Kanchan Nepal
  • With: the PACT committee and School Management Committee of Adarsha Basic School; local authorities
  • Funders: Fondation Gertrude Hirzel · Services Industriels de Terre Sainte et Environs (SITSE) to verify: funders of Adarsha

Resources

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From Our Blog Archive

archived posts: to re-publish on the new site, then update these links

Related Projects

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Every Drop Restores

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