Ganesh Prasad Thakuri from Benighat, Majhimtar is often seen walking along the hilly trails of his village, inspecting the water supply pipes. These pipes are a valuable resource for the community as they deliver water to the people from the source.
However, Ganesh has always been concerned about the functionality of these pipes as many required repairs. Although he has been engaged in the repair and maintenance of the pipes, his individual effort was not enough to meet the re-pair needs of his village. He would constantly talk about repairing water supply system with the Water supply system chief in his village.
Ganesh’s concern about the water supply sys-tem reflects what many people in Nepal have been facing for a long time.
In Nepal, only 25% of water supply schemes are functioning well. 36% need minor repairs and 39% need major repairs, rehabilitation, or recon-struction.
As regular repair and maintenance of water sup-ply system are essential, skilled plumbers like Ganesh can play a crucial role in ensuring the regular availability of water in the communities.
Oxfam’s Alternative Management project, which is funded by Poul Due Jensen (PDJ)/ Grundfos Foundation, aims to deliver safe water through a reliable service model that operates to keep rural water supply functional through proper en-gagement of service providers in operations and management of water supply scheme.
When the project announced its inception in Be-nighat village, Ganesh was very excited at the news. “ I was thrilled with joy knowing that Majhimtar has been selected to test alternative Management Model”, says Ganesh.
Ganesh attended the Village Maintenance Work-ers training provided by Oxfam and its partner FOCUS Nepal, to transfer technical knowledge on
maintaining water supply scheme.
The training has not only improved Ganesh’s plumbing skills but has also provided him with income generating opportunity as he is often seen repairing pipes in houses, schools and hotels.
With his dedication to serve Mahjimtar com-munity, Ganesh is often seen as a role model in his community. Capitalizing on his popu-larity, Ganesh plans to empower the youths of his village by teaching them plumbing skills.
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