💧 Nepal’s Hidden Crisis: The Burden of Waterborne Diseases
Yes, Nepal faces a high burden of waterborne diseases, especially in urban and underserved communities.
This silent crisis affects thousands of lives each year—especially children, the elderly, and those living in informal settlements. At Console Mission, we believe that access to clean water is a human right, not a privilege.
🚱 Why Is the Burden So High?
Nepal’s geography and infrastructure challenges make water safety a complex issue. Here are the key contributors:
- Polluted rivers and water sources: Rapid urbanization and poor waste management have severely contaminated rivers like the Bagmati. These waters are still used for bathing, washing, and even drinking in low-income areas.
- Limited access to safe water: Many rural and peri-urban communities rely on untreated sources, increasing exposure to harmful pathogens.
- Inadequate sanitation infrastructure: Open defecation and poor sewage systems continue to fuel the spread of waterborne illnesses.
🦠 What Diseases Are We Talking About?
Waterborne diseases are not just inconvenient—they’re deadly. The most common include:
- Diarrheal diseases: A leading cause of child mortality in Nepal.
- Cholera and typhoid: Outbreaks spike during monsoon seasons.
- Hepatitis A and E: Often linked to contaminated water and poor hygiene practices.
📊 The Human Cost
According to the World Health Organization and national health reports:
- Waterborne diseases contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in Nepal.
- Diarrheal diseases are among the top killers of children under five.
- The Global Burden of Disease 2019 study confirms that water-related illnesses remain a persistent challenge for Nepal’s health system.
🧼 What Needs to Be Done?
This data reinforces the urgency of:
- Scaling up chlorination and water purification programs
- Investing in sanitation infrastructure
- Empowering communities through education and hygiene awareness
At Console Mission, we are committed to turning data into action. Whether through youth-led campaigns, donor-supported interventions, or grassroots mobilization, we aim to build a future where clean water is accessible to all.
Water borne diseases are Key facts:
- Schistosomiasis (Snail Fever) – Estimated global prevalence: 200-600 million
- Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Infection) – Estimated global prevalence: over 500, near eradication
Key facts:
Schistosmiasis
- Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease caused by parasitic worms.
- At least 243 million people required treatment for schistosomiasis in 2011.
- The number of people reported to have been treated for schistosomiasis in 2011 was 28.1 million.
- People are at risk of infection due to agricultural, domestic and recreational activities which expose them to infested water.
- Lack of hygiene and play habits make children especially vulnerable to infection.
- Clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education would reduce infective water contact and the contamination of water sources.
- Schistosomiasis control focuses on reducing disease through periodic, large-scale population treatment with praziquantel.
Dracunculiasis
- Dracunculiasis is a crippling parasitic disease on verge of eradication, with only 542 cases reported in 2012.
- The disease is transmitted exclusively when people who have little or no access to safe-drinking water supply swallow water contaminated with parasite-infected water-fleas (cyclops).
- Of the 20 countries that were endemic in the mid 1980s, only 4 (all on the African continent) reported cases in 2012.
- Most cases (96%) occured in South Sudan.
- From the time infection occurs, it takes between 10-14 months for the cycle to complete until a mature worm emerges from the body. (http://www.who.int)
