Nepal; Sherpa children at a water pipe, 1986

Nepal; Sherpa children at a water pipe, in the village of Lukla (altitude 2827 metres) in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, 1986. A very young girl plays with water and a tin can while an older girl carries a plastic collecting can from a band around her head. The commonest method of collecting water is by harvesting rain water in 25,000 litre tanks constructed of ferrocement. Galvanised iron roofs and gutters act as catchments while HDPE pipes drain water into the tank. A tap stand is built into the tank. Water-Aid began working in Nepal in 1986 in conjunction with the Nepalese-based Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH). By 1996, 48% of Nepal's rural population had access to clean drinking water (Unicef: Nepal Mulitiple Indicator Survey 1996).