Nepal; village well, Rapti Valley, Terai, 1986

Nepal; women washing clothes and pots at a village well in the Rapti Valley, Terai region, 1986. This substantial concrete well is a local initiative. At the beginning of the 1980s, only about 9% of Nepal's population had access to clean water. WaterAid 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 Multiple Indicator Survey 1996).