Kathmandu May 27.

Ninety per cent of the country’s population has access to basic drinking water. As per the Economic Survey released by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, 508 thousand 220 people have access to basic drinking water. It is found that access to the basic sanitation has reached cent per cent population. Until 2015, 15 per cent of the population had access to high and medium level quality drinking water. This has now reached to 21 per cent of the population. Twenty one urban and semi-urban water supply projects have been completed in this period, benefiting 262 thousand 681 population with high and medium level drinking water facility. The Economic Survey states that providing this quality of drinking water to all the citizens is still a challenge. More than 1,300 drinking water projects were damaged by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. Of these, 508 projects have been reconstructed and restored as of mid-February this year. Two hundred thirteen thousand 942 people have benefited from this, it is stated. The Survey maintains that access to basic drinking water has reached to 92 per cent of the population in Bagmati State, Gandaki State and State-5 as of February. In Karnali State, only 87 per cent of the population has access to basic drinking water. Similarly, the Gandaki State had the highest population and the Karnali State the least population with access to basic drinking water facility as of end of the last fiscal year. In Gandaki State, 90.9 per cent of the population had access to basic drinking water as of July 16, 2019, while only 87 per cent of the population in Karnali State had access to basic drinking water. Two multi-stage lift system water supply projects have been constructed for providing drinking water in settlements in dry and hilly areas. Water is supplied by pumping water to 1,000 metres uphill for these projects. High and medium standard drinking water has been supplied from these two projects benefitting a population of 18 thousand 561. Similarly, the Economic Survey states that 64 new projects have been constructed and 13 projects have been restored during this period, benefitting a population of 57 thousand 237. Ten projects of high and medium standard have been completed which has benefitted 170 thousand 424 population. In the Kathmandu Valley, 155 kilometres of water supply system has been completed as of mid-February.