‘But if people are not aware and do not apply their minds to maintain the systems that might come, we will all be back to where we started from’ – Maniraj Shahi

“My parents sent me to look after the flock of sheep when it was my age to go to school. Maybe they tried and I was not good at learning. It was my fate to become a shepherd.

There used to be a small river in our place. It was very murky. But it has dried up now. So the only way for us to quench our thirst was from the Paanimool (water source). That was our only water source for our livelihood – for cooking and cleaning, for us humans and other animals. This continued for several decades. Fortunately, someone heard of our difficulties fetching water and an organization installed 17 taps in our village. There was a lot of joy when this was being built. The villagers contributed their labour to lay pipes from the source to the 2 reserve tanks.

A maintenance committee was also formed and we received training on repairing and preserving the water supply system. We were also given some tools that would be necessary to repair the system if there was a leak or a damage. However, maybe it is in people’s nature to forget the difficult days. They become complacent in their new found convenience. The same thing happened here. Because these taps were built for the villagers, we failed to take ownership. I did my best. I learned what I could and I have been the primary caretaker of the water system here.

I visit the water source regularly and see if there is anything that needs my attention. When the water stops in any of the taps, I take it upon myself to find out the reason. I use the very basic tool I have to fix what I can. But sometimes with the basic training and tools I possess, I am unable to fix the problem so it becomes necessary to call upon a professional plumber.

For the work I contribute in maintaining the water system, I receive 50 rupees from each household. Some give me without question and some just choose not to. For the amount of work that I do, I feel I am underpaid. The entire village is dependent on me for the smooth functioning of the water system. I wish the local government body would step in to look after this. Maybe they could give me a proper salary so that I keep doing my work the best I can and with full motivation.

When there is heavy flooding and landslides in the area how can it be expected of one aging man to fix the entire water system. Everything becomes debris. The pipes are broken and I respond to it. But when the scale of the damage is big, it is beyond me. During winter when it snows the pipes break freeze at several places. Pouring hot water on these pipes to melt the ice is just a quick solution but it is not sustainable.

There are other problems that persist. Because there is a settlement around the water source and it is not properly secured, children and cattle run astray. I have tried locking the periphery but I have found it broken several times. I keep changing these locks but they keep breaking it. How can we ensure safe drinking water without a safe source?

It is also the lack of awareness and the inability to rise above one’s selfishness that causes problems. People just sever the pipes so that they don’t have to walk a few steps to the tap. They do not rejoin it and the water is wasted. Recently, because there was a squabble amongst neighbors the tap wasn’t replaced and water flowed day and night. This water could have been preserved for difficult times.

With the very rudimentary tools I have, I am not able to accomplish much. Everything could collapse and I will be left watching. The taps here are the old kind and cheap so there is a lot of leakage. I am sure there are new tools in the market that are handy, easy and durable. We lack such tools and technology. There is a lack of emergency funds during climate disasters.

The ideal scenario is to have water in the households. From what I understand, it is the government’s policy but it has yet to be implemented here. But if people are not aware and do not apply their minds to maintain the systems that might come, we will all be back to where we started from.”

– Maniraj Sahi, Badkhi, Hima-1, Jumla

“स्कुल जाने उमेरमा मेरा बाआमाले मलाई भेडा चराउन पठाए । स्कुल पठाउन उहाँहरूलाई मन थियो होला । तर मेरो पढाइ नै कमजोर भएकाले मेरो भाग्यमा भेडीगोठालो बन्ने लेखेको थियो होला ।

हाम्रो गाउँमा एउटा सानो खोला थियो । एकदम धमिलो पानी आउँथ्यो । पछि त त्यो पनि सुक्यो । त्यसैले तिर्खा मेट्न पानीमूल मात्रै बाँकी थियो । भात पकाउन, लुगा धुन, मान्छेको जिविकोपार्जनका लागि मात्रै होइन गाईवस्तुको लागि पनि पानीको एक मात्र स्रोत त्यो नै थियो । त्यसरी नै दसकौँसम्म चल्यो । पानी ल्याउने त्यो दुःखलाई हाम्रो भाग्यले कसैले सुनिदिएछ । अनि एउटा संस्थाले गाउँमा १७ वटा धाराहरू जोडिदियो । धाराहरू बनिसकेपछि गाउँमा हर्षोल्लास मच्चिएको थियो । मुहानबाट २वटा ट्याङ्कीसम्म पानी ल्याउन पाइप बिछ्याउँदा गाउँलेहरूले समेत श्रमदान गरेका थिए ।

त्यही बेलामा एउटा मर्मत समिती पनि बनेको थियो । पानी आपुर्ती प्रणालीको मर्मतसम्भार गर्न हामीलाई तालिम पनि दिइएको थियो । पानी चुहियो वा पाइप बिग्रियो भने बनाउनको लागि हामीलाई विभिन्न औजारहरू दिइएको थियो । तर दुःखका दिनहरू बिर्सिने मानिसको स्वभाव नै होला । नयाँ पाएको सुविधामा सन्तुष्ट भइहाल्छ मान्छे । हाम्रोमा पनि त्यही भयो । यि धाराहरू गाउँलेहरूको लागि नै बनाइएको भए तापनि हामी सबैले यसको स्वामित्व ग्रहण गर्न सकेनौँ । मैले चाहीँ सकेको गरेँ । मैले के गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने मलाई थाहा थियो । त्यसैले मैले यो पानीको चौकिदारी गर्ने जिम्मेवारी लिएँ ।

म पानीको मुहानमा नियमित जाने गर्छु, अनि मैले गरिहाल्नुपर्ने केही छ कि भनेर हेर्छु । कुनै धारामा पानी आएन भने किन आएन भनेर म आफै खोज्न थाल्छु । आफैले मर्मत गर्न मसँग जे जे छ, त्यही प्रयोग गर्छु । तर मेरो साधारण तालिम र मसँग भएको औजारले कहिलेकाहीँ मर्मत असम्भव हुन्छ । त्यस्तो बेलामा प्लम्बर मिस्त्री नै बोलाउनुपर्ने हुन्छ ।

पानी आपुर्तीको व्यवस्था मिलाउन मैले खेलेको भुमिकाको लागि मलाई प्रत्येक घरले ५० रुपैयाँ दिन्छन् । कोहीकोहीले केही नभनी दिन्छन् भने कोहीले चाहीँ दिन हिच्किचाउँछन् । मैले जति गरिरहेको छु त्यसको तुलनमा मैले पाएको पैसा त केही पनि हैन जस्तो लाग्छ । पानीको नियमित आपुर्तीका लागि पुरै गाउँ ममा नै निर्भर छ । अब त स्थानिय तह छ नि । यस्तोमा त उसले हेरिदिए हुन्थ्यो नि भन्ने लाग्छ । धेरै केही गर्नुपर्दैन । मलाई अलिकती तलबको व्यवस्था गरिदियो भने म जे गरिरहेको छु त्यो अझ बढी उत्साहका साथ गर्ने थिएँ ।

जब यहाँ बाढीपहिरो आउँछ, तब म बुढोले मात्रै सबै कुरा कसरी सम्हाल्न सक्छु ? पहिरोले सोहोरेर सबै डङ्गुर हुन्छ । सानोतिनो पाइप बाँचिए त म आफै बनाउँछु । तर क्षति ठूलो छ भने म एक्लैले मात्रै गर्न सक्दिन । त्यति मात्रै कहाँ हो र? जाडो महिनामा हिउँले ठाउँठाउँमा पाइपभित्र पानी जम्छ । अनि तातो पानी खन्याएर पाइपभित्रको बरफ पगाल्नुपर्छ । पानीको निकासका लागि यो छिटो समाधान त हो तर यो दिगो उपाय भने होइन ।

यो मात्रै होइन, समस्याहरू अरु पनि छन् । पानीको मुहान वरपर वस्ती भएकाले मुहान त्यती सुरक्षित छैन । केटाकेटीहरू, गाईभैँसीहरू यत्तिकै पस्दिन्छन् । म आफैले कतिपटक ताल्चा किनेर लाइसकेँ तर फुटाइदिहाल्छन् । पानीको मुहान नै सुरक्षित छैन भने हामीले सफा पानीको सुनिश्चितता कसरी गर्न सक्छौँ?

जनचेतनाको कमि र आफ्नो स्वार्थभन्दा माथि उठ्न नसकेका कारण यस्ता समस्याहरू आएका हुन् । दुईचार पाइला हिड्यो भने धारा भेटिन्छ । तर केही मानिसहरू जहाँ पयो त्यहीँ पाइप काटिदिन्छन् । पाइप जोडेको ठाउँमा खुस्काएर पानी खान्छन् तर नजोडी हिडिदिन्छन् । अनि पानी खेर गएन त ? हालसालै बिग्रिएको धाराको ठाउँमा अर्को नराखेकाले दिनरात पानी खेर गयो भनेर छिमिकीहरू झगडा गर्दै थिए । खडेरीको बेलामा त्यो खेर गएको पानीलाई जोगाउन सकिन्थ्यो नि ।

मसँग भएका सानातिना औजारहरूले धेरै केही गर्न सकिँदैन । कुनै बेला यस्तो दिन आउन सक्छ जुन बेलामा सबै कुरा भताभुङ्ग हुन्छ अनि म हेरेकोहेरेइ हुन्छु । यहाँका धाराहरू पुराना भइसके । कमसल खालको भएकाले बेलाबेलामा चुहिरहन्छ । मलाई थाहा छ बजारमा नयाँ नयाँ औजारहरू आइसके, जुन प्रयोग गर्न सजिलो र धेरै टिकाउका हुन्छन् । तर हामीसँग त्यस्तो औजार र प्रविधी नै छैन । जलवायु प्रकोप भएको बेलामा चाहिने आपतकालिन कोष पनि छैन ।

घरघरमा धारा भए त सबैभन्दा राम्रो । मलाई थाहा भएसम्म सरकारको नीति नै त्यही हो । तर यहाँ लागु हुन सकेको छैन । तर मानिसहरूमा चेतना भएन भने र भोलिका दिनमा आउने नयाँ प्रणालीको व्यवस्थापन गर्न सबैले दिमाग लाउन सकेनन् भने हामीले जहाँबाट सुरु गरेका थियौँ त्यहीँ नै पुग्नेछौँ ।”

-मनिराज साही, बड्खी, हिमा-१