In Nepal, one in ten children die before the age of five. Preventable water-borne diseases are the leading cause of childhood death. This statistic is shocking for those of us in the West who take clean water for granted. The Nepal Water Project came about when the plight of Nepali children was brought to the attention of Susan Murcott, Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Masters of Engineering Program.

In response, Susan organized a team of seven Masters of Engineering students to assess the water quality of selected urban and rural locations in Nepal and to recommend point-of-use household water treatment methods to decrease the incidence of waterborne diseases. The team spent the 1999-2000 academic year studying this subject as their thesis project. They spent three weeks during January 20000 in the Terai and Hill region of Nepal collecting and analyzing water samples, evaluating water treatment methods, and investigating water supply systems and water culture in Nepal.

This story takes place in village of Kusadevi, Kavre District. Three MIT students in the water treatment group, Kim Luu, Junko Sagara and Amer Khayyat, appear in the video. The group demonstrated treatment options and obtained feedback from local women sanitation workers.