This is in response to the humanitarian editorial titled “Disabled-friendly” (THT, May 30, Page 8). South Asia breeds a shockingly callous society where the uneducated non-disabled section is absolutely oblivious of human rights.

Do the physically-challenged people belong to any inferior grade or are they less efficient and less talented than the so-called normal population? Rather their quality is superior to the likes of “normal” people because they succeed in many fields despite being physically-challenged.

Are we aware of the existence of innumerable physically-challenged people in the globe who swim across channels, climb Himalayan summits and remain engaged in various pursuits?

The State should create a barrier-free environment and make special provisions to integrate people with disabilities into society, say, providing ramps in public buildings, medical centres and suitable toilets for wheelchair users.

But the fact remains that public places like high-end stores, museums, restaurants, cinemas and libraries are mostly not accessible to wheelchair-bound people.

Continuous fight of the challenged section, braving against all odds, is a source of inspiration for the whole society; it remains the duty of the concerned authorities to offer the hand of co-operation.

Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata

Rainwater

Looking at dry taps they show how much suffering we are facing from an acute shortage of water.

It is an irony that Nepal is the second richest country in water resources. When people grew up drinking water from stone water spouts around the city they cannot imagine that they will be able to quench their thirst in their lifetime.

We have a Minister of Drinking Water but the public do not know what he is doing. We also are not in a situation like in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge who says “Water, water everywhere, not a drop of water to drink…” as the mariner was at sea where he cannot drink the saline water.

All water resources in Nepal are drinkable. The only issue is that we need to manage them properly for drinking and other purposes such as irrigation, navigation, fishery, rafting, recreation and for generating hydroelectricity.

Our water resources have not the problem of salinity but our mind is. Our main problem is that we have not been able to use the free and abundant resources that nature has given us.

If we cannot tap all the rivers for all purposes we can at least tap the rain water from our rooftops. The municipalities can make it mandatory for all households that they should install a facility to tap the rainwater so that it can be used for drinking and cleansing purposes.

Nepal receives around 1,500 mm of rainfall during winter and monsoon.

The rainwater can be collected at various reservoirs on the foothills of any mountains and it can be distributed to the people in municipalities and it can also be used for irrigation and generating electricity just like what we have done from Kulekhani reservoir.

R. Manandhar, Kathmandu