The Hindu caste system is over 3,000 years old. It divides society into four main varna (social classes), which are inherited at birth. Below this is a fifth group, who are outside the caste system. They are known as “Dalits” (“Untouchables”).

In Lahan, south-eastern Nepal, only 35 per cent of the population has access to a treated water supply. Homes lack taps and basic sanitation, while healthcare centres do without clean water, flushing toilets and handwashing facilities. At schools across the region, students miss class due to illness; contaminated water and poor hygiene are linked to diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid. 

Everyone is affected by the water crisis, but not everyone is affected equally. This film explores the intersectionality of water poverty with a distinct form of marginalisation found across South Asia, namely, untouchability. In so doing, it highlights how environmental issues are always at once social and political issues.

This is Ram Kumari’s story.

Co-Producer | Co-Director | Editor | Sound Design