Nepal Water Crisis
With over 42% living below the poverty line, Nepal is considered one of the poorest nations in the world. Though most Nepali people have access to water, it's not safe. The water in the more urban areas is polluted by industrial waste and untreated sewage. This same waste leaks into streams and pollutes the water in rivers and lakes that many in remote locations rely on as their only source of water. Water sources in rural areas are even polluted with natural contaminations. The most recent concern is groundwater contamination containing arsenic, typically found in the tube wells that many still rely on.
As a result, waterborne illnesses such as dysentery, typhoid, and cholera run rampant. According to the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, only 34% of Nepal has access to safe water, and 44,000 children under the age of 5 die every year due to waterborne illness. That's 121 per day, and 5 per hour. |
WHAT WE'RE DOING |
RU4 People is bringing water filters to the Nepali people. Each water filter provides 1 MILLION gallons of CLEAN water for an entire family for 10 years! Each family is estimated 5.5 people and averaging 3.5 children in every family We're confident in the ability to save thousands of lives, and we won't stop until we bring over 15,000 water filters to Nepal.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO |
Sources: https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-nepal
http://web.mit.edu/watsan/Docs/Student%20Reports/Nepal/NepalGroupReport2002.pdf |