Aalokhiti

Local peoples of Ikhachhen, Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city have managed water supply system by distributing water collected from traditional stone spouts of Aalokhiti to each household. These five artistic traditional spouts in Aalokhiti flows water continuously over the year. Water flows from stone spouts collect and stored by the user committee from 4:30 to 11:30PM. At other times water from the stone spouts free use for people. Initially, it was distributed to 150 HH but at present it served 250 HH, 200HH of this community and 50HH outside the community. It is estimated that the total water flow in the five spouts of Aalokhiti is sufficient to provide drinking water for more than 1000 HH in that locality but this need to upgrade the existing reserve and distribution capacity.

Before 2003, the formation of water management committee, the condition of stonespouts was in the stage of extinction and the area has been covered by solid waste emitted from the community. Every household were supplied by sufficient water so they don?t understand the value of stonespouts. After the growing population and rapid construction of infrastructures the water scarcity in the community increased. Thereafter, community people came to manage the stonespouts through the user committee. After the formation of water management user committee in 2003 for the water source preservation, collection and distribution just five month later the testing water collection and distribution activity started and finally manage the regular and systematic household water supply from April 2004.

Water is collected from two spouts @ of 7 hours daily and supplied to the community of 250HH @200 ltr per day. The continuous flow of water from the stonespouts is quite wonderful because almost all of the stonespouts in the valley have been extinct. This wonderful flow of water all over the year from Aalokhiti stonespouts is due to the ground water recharge system applied by the community in the area. There are two recharge wells have been constructed for recharge to the stonespouts and one recharge pond is made for the recharge of lowland wells. Construction of well around this community is banned.

For the ground water recharge system, he water flowing on the road side is trapped and large suspended particles are removed then recharged to the well which ultimately recharges the groundwater aquifer. This recharged water helps for the continuous flow of water thorough stone taps. Although we didn?t know about working principle and internal construction of stone taps but we know how the water is available for stone taps.

The construction of concrete building has sealed the recharging ground and ultimately the GW is depleting by 3 meters every year in the Kathmandu valley. The best example of recharging the GW is seen in the Alko Hiti where the GW is recharged from 2 recharge wells of capacity 8000L/hr and 6000L/hr.

Form the study, the need of ground water recharge system through artificial mechanism is urgent for the valley because the natural recharge zones have been fully blocked by the concretization. If we able to recharge the ground water then it ultimately solve our water scarcity and balance the ground water system in well manner.