Our Mission

Permanent water access for Himalayan communities

One in four people in rural Nepal still lacks access to clean drinking water. Women and children walk hours each day to collect water from sources contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and agricultural runoff. Waterborne disease remains a leading cause of child mortality in the hills.

Pure Water Nepal partners directly with village development committees to design, build, and maintain solar-powered water systems. We don't parachute in with a solution — we co-develop infrastructure that communities own, operate, and sustain for decades.

Every system we build combines a solar-powered submersible well pump with bio-sand filtration, gravity-fed distribution, and a trained local maintenance committee. The result is clean water that flows without diesel, without grid electricity, and without dependency on outside organizations.

Solar-Powered Wells

Off-grid photovoltaic pump systems designed for Nepal's solar profile. No fuel costs, no emissions, no moving parts to fail in remote terrain.

Bio-Sand Filtration

Locally manufactured concrete filters using graded sand and gravel. Removes 98% of bacteria without chemicals or replacement parts.

Community Ownership

Each village forms a water committee, receives maintenance training, and holds legal ownership of all infrastructure from day one.

Long-Term Monitoring

Quarterly water quality testing and annual infrastructure audits for a minimum of five years after handover. We don't build and leave.

Our Process

From survey to sustained flow

Every project follows the same rigorous six-stage process. No shortcuts, no templates — each system is engineered for its specific village, geology, and community.

01

Hydrogeological Survey

Our field engineers conduct resistivity surveys and test drilling to map aquifer depth, yield, and water quality. We identify the optimal well location before any construction begins.

2–4 weeks
02

Community Agreement

We work with the Village Development Committee to establish a formal water users' group, agree on tap-stand locations, define maintenance responsibilities, and sign a community ownership charter.

2–3 weeks
03

Well Drilling & Solar Installation

Borehole drilling to aquifer depth, casing, gravel packing, and pump installation. Solar panels are mounted and wired to a submersible pump controller with battery backup for cloudy days.

3–6 weeks
04

Filtration & Distribution

Bio-sand filters are cast on-site using local materials. Gravity-fed HDPE pipe networks distribute clean water to community tap stands, schools, and health posts throughout the village.

4–8 weeks
05

Training & Handover

We train the water committee on pump maintenance, filter cleaning, water quality testing, and minor repairs. Spare parts kits and technical manuals are provided in Nepali.

1–2 weeks
06

Monitoring & Support

Quarterly water quality tests, annual infrastructure inspections, and an open support line for five years minimum. Data from every test is published in our Watershed Impact Ledger.

5+ years

Numbers That Matter

Measurable, verified, ongoing

Every number below is drawn from field-verified data. We don't estimate reach — we count tap stands, test water, and survey households.

47

Villages with operational water systems across 6 districts

23,400+

People with daily access to tested clean water

312

Community tap stands built and maintained

98%

System operational rate across all installations

74%

Reduction in waterborne illness in served villages

2.3 hrs

Average daily time saved per household on water collection

189

Trained local maintenance committee members

0

Liters of diesel burned — every system is 100% solar

All figures verified as of Q1 2025. Full dataset available in our annual Watershed Impact Ledger report.

Sindhupalchok District — Installed March 2024

From the Field

Sindhupalchok

"Before the well, my daughters walked ninety minutes each morning to the river. They missed school three days a week during monsoon when the trail flooded. Now water comes to our village. Both girls passed their SLC exams this year." — Sita Tamang, Bhotechaur Village, Ward 7

Bhotechaur sits at 1,800 meters in the Sindhupalchok hills, a district still recovering from the 2015 earthquake. The village of 340 people relied on a single spring source 2.4 kilometers away — a source that ran dry for three months each winter.

In March 2024, we completed a 65-meter borehole, installed a 400-watt solar array, and built a gravity-fed network serving 14 tap stands across the village. The bio-sand filter station processes 4,000 liters daily. The water committee of nine members — six of them women — manages all operations.

340 People served
14 Tap stands
65m Well depth
400W Solar capacity

Where Your Money Goes

Financial transparency, line by line

We publish a complete financial breakdown for every dollar received. This is our commitment: you can trace your donation from receipt to tap stand.

Well Infrastructure
Drilling, casing, pumps, solar panels, batteries
42%
Filtration & Distribution
Bio-sand filters, HDPE pipe, tap stands, fittings
26%
Community Training
Committee formation, maintenance training, manuals
14%
Monitoring & Testing
Water quality labs, field visits, data systems
9%
Administration
Staff, legal, reporting, fundraising overhead
9%
91¢ of every dollar reaches the field
Audited annually by independent CPA
Full ledger published quarterly

Frequently Asked

Questions we hear in the field and from donors

A full system — well, solar pump, bio-sand filtration, and gravity-fed distribution network — costs between $12,000 and $28,000 depending on well depth, village size, and terrain. The average across our 47 installations is $18,600. This includes five years of monitoring and support.
Every village receives a spare parts kit and trained maintenance committee. Solar panels have a 25-year warranty and no moving parts. Submersible pumps are selected for a 10-year service life. Our field team provides remote support and annual on-site inspections. In six years of operation, we have had only one pump replacement — completed within 72 hours.
We prioritize villages based on three criteria: severity of water scarcity (measured by distance to nearest safe source and seasonal availability), community readiness (willingness to form a water committee and contribute local labor), and hydrogeological feasibility (presence of a viable aquifer at reasonable depth). District health data on waterborne disease rates also informs our selection.
Yes. We organize donor field visits twice per year — typically in October and March when weather conditions are favorable. Visits include travel to an active project site, meetings with the village water committee, and a full technical walkthrough of the system. We ask visitors to cover their own travel costs to Nepal; we handle all in-country logistics.
Pure Water Nepal is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations from U.S. taxpayers are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. We issue receipts for every donation within 48 hours. For donors in other countries, please consult your local tax authority regarding charitable deduction eligibility.
The Watershed Impact Ledger is our public accountability document, published quarterly. It includes financial statements for every project, water quality test results from every village, system operational status, and community health outcome data. Any donor can access the full ledger through our website. We believe radical transparency is the foundation of trust.