Box 1 illustrates how the poor are affected by lack of access to water. The lack of water accentuates the hardships of the poor. Crops of marginal farmers remain dependent on the rain gods. In the remote hill areas of Nepal, many poor communities are compelled to fetch water from sources up to 15 kilometers away. Tradition requires that women and female children carry water on their heads or backs over long distances.
Physical deformities are common.
Human dignity suffers acutely. Children are deprived of the opportunity to attend school. And girls are locked into poverty in perpetuity. Marginal farmers farm marginal lands. They are often on the periphery of irrigation facilities.