Establishing a water quality monitoring network in mid-western Nepal

SDG Target 6.1 calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water which is free from fecal and chemical contamination. There is a critical need for safe water supplies in rural Nepal, especially in remote mountainous communities where diarrheal disease burden is highest.

Tracking progress toward national drinking water quality standards is challenging for many rural water programmes.

In partnership with HELVETAS-Nepal’s Water Resource Management Program (WARM-P), this project will strengthen capacity for water quality monitoring within a risk-based water safety framework.

Activities include the installation of field laboratories equipped for microbial and chemical analysis, training local staff in sampling and data management, and establishing a flexible mobile network for data management.

Based on lessons learned, the team will seek solutions for achieving sustainable rural water quality monitoring and protection at scale.

This project is one of twelve Catalyst Projects funded through our Partnership Funding.

Publications:

Schertenleib, A., Sigrist, J., Friedrich, M. N. D., Ebi, C., Hammes, F., and Marks, S. (2019). Construction of a low-cost mobile incubator for field and laboratowry use. Journal of Visualized Experiments: 145.

Tosi Robinson, D., Schertenleib, A., Kunwar, B.M., Shrestha, R., Bhatta, M., Marks, S.J. (2018). Assessing the Impact of a Risk-Based Intervention on Piped Water Quality in Rural Communities: The Case of Mid-Western Nepal. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health: 15, 1616.