Voice of a Village Maintenance Worker
I had a chance to participate in a Village Maintenance Worker Training event a year ago. The job of a VMW is to take care of the Drinking Water Supply Scheme and its regular function, moreover, to make sure the functionality of the DWSS. This training taught me to fit pipes and do structural fittings in a water supply system. In this training, I learned a lot of useful skills related to the functionality of DWSS. I became familiar with intakes, reservoir tanks, and other structures related to a drinking water supply scheme. My desire for learning new things has never stopped. I am always interested in upgrading my skills and learning new techniques in construction and infrastructure setups. 

 

As a village maintenance worker of Hey Mijar Drinking Water Supply System situated at Indrawati Rural Municipality ward no.4 my day starts with monitoring of the taps and intake area. I clean the intake and reservoir tank every 15 days to provide safe drinking water to my villagers. I have good knowledge of tap maintenance. I repair brass taps, broken pipelines, water washers, intake, and tanks. I check the water bill on the 9th of the month and collect the money by the 10th of the month. I even get paid as VMW which has really helped me spend it on my other expenses.
A water user committee meeting has decided to select me as a VMW. In the beginning, I was a little worried about this type of service as I had never done this type of work before. Now I am convinced that this is also community service and happy to be a part of this noble cause. My training would not have been possible without support from SEBAC-Nepal and SIMAVI Netherland. I have enhanced my basic technical skills in drinking water management, sanitation, and hygiene. Whenever the community members have drinking water problems and maintenance issues, they call me and I really feel proud of it."

Mr. Gokul Tamang
Village Maintenance Worker
Hey Mijar DWSS
Indrawati RM, Sindhupalchowk

 

“I am very happy to be appointed as a village maintenance worker for Thulodhara DWSS, Lamidanda, Kalindhowk RM-03. On a daily basis, I monitor the smooth supply of water from the source (intake) to HHs. The ASHA project has trained me on the general maintenance of water supply systems, hence in case of any issues in the functionality of the water supply I am able to conduct general maintenance and ensure a regular supply of water. No major issues have been detected so far. Due to the access to water at the household level people, people have started kitchen gardens and the sanitation level has improved. I conduct HH visits on monthly basis for meter reading purposes and collect water tariffs. I would like to express gratitude to the ASHA project team for its quality work and for providing access to water for all.” -Mr. Mir Bahadur Khatri Village Maintenance Worker Thulodhara DWSS