Digging for the Future: A Village Builds Its Own Rainwater Reservoir
ENVIRONMENT · COMMUNITY · SERMATHANG
Villagers and students in Sermathang spent days carving a reservoir out of the forest floor — by hand — to keep 1,000 newly planted trees alive.
By the Heal Nepal Team · Sermathang, Helambu · September 25, 2024
Villagers and students from Yangrima School dig the reservoir pit by hand in the forest above Sermathang.
Sermathang is a village that guards its ecosystem fiercely. Tucked into the Helambu region near Langtang National Park, it’s home to the Hyolmo people banned all chemical inputs from its farms and treats every scrap of organic waste as manure. But that same care for the land has run into a harder problem: climate change is quietly rewriting how water moves through these hills.
As snowfall gives way to rain, less water soaks into the ground and more simply runs off. For the 1,000 duphi plants recently planted around the village that shift could mean the difference between taking root and drying out. So this September, the community decided to build its own answer: a hand-dug rainwater reservoir.
A Community-Built Solution
There were no excavators, no contractors and no imported machinery – just shovels, pickaxes and a team of villagers and students from Yangrima School who showed up ready to dig. Over several days, the team carved a reservoir 25 feet long, 7 feet wide and 7 feet deep into the forest floor near the newly planted duphi saplings, positioned to capture as much runoff as possible.
Construction underway — leveling and shaping the reservoir base.
How It Came Together
- Site selection: A location was chosen close to the duphi plants to maximize water accessibility.
- Excavation: The team dug a rectangular pit by hand to precise dimensions.
- Foundation preparation: The base was leveled and compacted for a stable structure.
- Wall construction: Sand, stone, gravel and wood were combined to form and reinforce the reservoir walls.
- Waterproofing: An interior layer was applied to prevent leakage.
- Finishing touches: The reservoir was smoothed and finished for reliable water collection.
Digging In, Together
The work wasn’t easy. Limited tools and equipment meant the team had to rely on ingenuity and cooperation making the most of every shovel and every pair of hands. Shifting weather added another layer of difficulty but the crew adapted their schedule around it rather than letting it stall the project.
What emerges from the photos isn’t just a construction site — it’s a shared meal under a tarp strung between trees, students working alongside elders and a village treating a water shortage as a problem it could solve itself.
A break for lunch — villagers and students share a meal beside the half-finished reservoir.
What It Means for Sermathang
The finished reservoir now gives the 1,000 duphi plants a reliable source of water heading into drier stretches — a small piece of infrastructure with an outsized role in the health of the local ecosystem. It’s also a hedge against a changing climate, storing rain that might otherwise run straight off the hillside and away from the roots that need it.
Looking Ahead
- Regular maintenance to keep the reservoir functional for years to come
- Exploring additional rainwater harvesting techniques for future planting projects
- Educational programs to build long-term awareness around water conservation
Support This Work
The rainwater reservoir at Sermathang is proof of what a community can build when it puts its shoulders into a shared problem. Projects like this — low-cost, hands-on, and locally led — are exactly the kind of work that keeps villages like Sermathang resilient as the climate shifts around them.
Interested in supporting more community-led environmental projects in Helambu? Reach out to Heal Nepal to learn how you can help.