Our Dutch member Kerk in Actie, along with ICCO and ACT Alliance, implemented an important reconstruction and development programme in the Nepalese municipality of Chitlang.
The project called Shivalaya water source in Chitlang was aimed at restoring the water supply system in the remote mountain district of Makwanpur, completely dried up during the 2015 earthquake.
For the majority of the population of the region, agriculture is the main source of income and employment, and the source Shivalaya the most accessible source to irrigate fields. After the source completely dried up, the villagers had to travel a long distance to fetch water. Result they had no time to take care of their fields. Restoration of water and reservoirs was therefore vital.
Together with engineers from partner organisations, residents discovered a new source 600 meters away from the old one, and the reconstruction began. The new reservoir was put into operation after 9 days.
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake occurred at 11:56 Nepal Standard Time on the 25th, with a magnitude of 7.8Mw. It killed more than 8,000 people and injured more than 21,000.
This program has received funding from the European Union.
Find out more about the project here (NL).