KENJI KWOK
By most international standards Kathmandu should be considered uninhabitable because this city of 2.5 million has no functioning water mains. But residents have learnt to improvise: they pump ground water, buy water from tankers or collect the rain. But the mainstay of water supply for inner city Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are still the water spouts built by the Malla kings 400 years ago (pic). Fifteen years behind schedule, the Melamchi project to supply water to Kathmandu Valley is likely to be further delayed.