Drinking water being supplied without treatment in Kathmandu

Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) has admitted about half of the water it has been distributing in Kathmandu is distributed without proper treatment, Nagarik daily reported.

Only four out of 14 water treatment plants in Kathmandu valley are operating at present. These treatment plants, constructed with the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), located in Mahankal, Bansbari, Maharajgunj and Bhaktapur have a capacity to treat 20 million litres of water daily.

The rest of the water supplied is distributed after a chlorine treatment. KUKL supplies about 150 million litres of water daily.

"It is difficult to treat water at different places as there is no single supply for water distribution in Kathmandu, said Rameshwar Shrestha," spokesperson of KUKL. "We have tried to purify water using chlorine in some places."

Some of the treatment plants have been affected due to load shedding.  KUKL has installed treatment plants with a capacity to treat 2.5 million litres of water a day in 10 out of its 25 distribution centres. However, they are rarely operated due to lack of power.

source: nepalnews.com