Turning off the taps in Nepal

Nepal’s thirsty capital is losing its centuries-old taps to development.

From early morning, housewives carrying buckets and brass pots queue in the back streets of Nepal’s capital for the free water pumped from a network of ancient stone spouts. A lifeline in a city with erratic government supplies and expensive private alternatives, Kathmandu’s intricately carved communal spouts have survived invasions and earthquakes.