British Ambassador Andy Sparkes formally presented the Nepal Army’s Directorate of Disaster Reduction and Resilience with essential water filtration equipment worth £22,000 to boost Nepal’s disaster management capacity. In a ceremony at Nepal Army Headquaters, Ambassador Sparkes praised the excellent relations between the British and Nepali armed forces and handed over 115 Lifesaver jerry cans and 99 Lifesaver water bottles to Brigadier General Tajman Singh Basnyat, Director General for Development and Security.

According to a press release of British Embassy, each jerry can is capable of filtering up to 20,000 liters of water, while each bottle can filter up to 6,000 liters. The jerry cans alone can produce 2.3 million liters of clean water, enough for over 80,000 people for more than a week. The equipment is manufactured in the UK using the latest technology and is widely used in both the UK and US armed forces.

The British Government is committed to supporting Nepal’s ability to plan for and respond to a major natural disaster, recognizing that the effects of climate change and the risk of a major earthquake are two of the most fundamental challenges facing Nepal. DFID is spending almost £5m each year on disaster risk reduction and resilience, and has committed £65m over the next four years to project work to build Nepalis resilience and adaptation to the effects of climate change. This donation of water filtration equipment to the Nepal Army is a small but significant part of Britain’s overall effort to help ensure that, should the worst happen, the people of Nepal are well prepared.