Nepal, Feb. 12 -- The recently unveiled Multiple Indicator Survey (MICS) 2024-025 presents a devastating picture of Nepal's water supply systems. Around 60 percent of households across the country still consume water contaminated with harmful microbes. The presence of coliform bacteria in drinking water is not a new phenomenon, but the scale of the contamination is an alarming sign of a systemic failure in public health and infrastructure oversight.

The prevalent narrative has been built on the distinction between 'basic' and 'safe' access. Recent data suggests that 98.2 percent of the population uses an 'improved' source of drinking water. However, as health officials have noted, these sources are often unsafe. The term 'safe' serves mo...