Nyaya Health

Posted by Sushant Wagley

For Nyaya Health, a steady water supply is essential for delivering health care services at Bayalpata Hospital. Ridikot, the village development committee (VDC) where Bayalpata Hospital is located, is an especially dry VDC with limited water supply. Communities surrounding Bayalpata Hospital – and even most of the district of Achham – do not have running water. Instead, people rely on communal taps or natural water springs – muhan in Nepali – for their family’s water supply. However, access to these sources of water is sometimes difficult and burdensome. While water from muhan is used for general domestic purposes, most people depend on the seasonal monsoon rains for agriculture. During the dry season, people plant crops that do not require much water or the fields are left empty.

Bayalpata Hospital’s water is supplied from a natural spring in the neighboring Bhageshwor – a relatively water-rich VDC. A 5-6 km long pipe supplies water to a central tank where it is then pumped to the hospital storage unit. The black polyurethane pipe – originating from the hilltop spring – runs alongside anything from roads and houses to rice paddies and cliffs before reaching Bayalpata Hospital.

However, maintaining this supply has many challenges. This past summer was especially dry (see blog The Danger of Delayed Monsoon Rains by Ranju Sharma about the affects of delayed monsoon on Achhami agriculture) and Achham, much like other regions in Nepal, experienced a late monsoon. During the dry summer, hospital staff experienced situations where the pipes were cut in multiple locations to divert water to local communities. This significantly impacted daily operations at the hospital and at one point the staff had to shut off the water supply to all other buildings to maintain a sufficient level for the main clinical building that houses the emergency room and the inpatient/outpatient departments. Floods and landslides were also frequent due to heavy rains in the late monsoon, and these natural disasters have also disrupted Nyaya’s water supply. The staff experienced many cases where the pipe was ripped or snapped due to the impact of falling rocks. In some regions where a landslide had occurred, the pipe was exposed and further damaged by the falling mud and boulders.

Water supply will play a critical role in the expansion of Bayalpata Hospital. Nyaya’s water supply for the hospital was established from a partnership between Bayalpata Hospital and the surrounding communities. Since Ridikot is an especially dry VDC, Nyaya Health has

constructed a public tap for general water use. Bayalpata hospital also lies along the walking route from Sanfe Bagar, a major transportation hub, and Mangalsen, Achham’s district headquarters. The public water tap has also served many travelers who frequent this route by foot.

Currently, community members from surrounding VDCs help Bayalpata Hospital maintain its water supply. Members inform hospital staff of any leakage or pipe damage. Another neighboring VDC – Janalikot – has also agreed to supply water to Bayalpata Hospital.

Constant monitoring and maintenance is required to maintain a continuous supply of water and this undertaking must be a partnership between the community and the hospital. As Nyaya Health continues its operations at Bayalpata, and plans for future expansion, its strong relationship with the local communities will be critical to maintaining such services as water supply.

Tags: Achham, Far West, global health delivery, Landslide, Mangalsen, Nyaya Health, rural health, social justice, Sushant Wagley