---
title: "Objectives of water supply and components"
subject: "Water Supply Engineering"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_5/water_supply_engineering:objectives-ws-rural-diagram"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/objectives-ws-rural-diagram
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Objectives of water supply and components

Water Supply Engineering · Chapter 1: Introduction

- Asked in: 2078 Bhadra, 2+2 marks; 2069 Chaitra, 4 marks; 2069 Asar, 4 marks (asked 3 times)
- Video: [1. WATER SUPPLY & SANITARY ENGINEERING #CH#1 #INTRODUCTION #LECTURE#1 #ENVIRONMENTAL#ENGINEERING pdf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFqR9OsXJ9E) — THE CIVILOCONCEPT
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/objectives-ws-rural-diagram
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/water_supply_engineering/chapter-1

## Question

Enlist the objectives of a water supply system, focusing on rural water supply in Nepal. Draw its schematic diagram mentioning the components.

## Short answer

Objectives: supply safe water, reduce water-borne diseases, save time, provide at convenient distance, support livestock/gardens, low cost, sustainable. Schematic: spring → intake → sedimentation → transmission → reservoir → break pressure tank (if needed) → distribution → public standposts. Key components: intake, sedimentation tank, reservoir, BPT, pipes, tap stands.

## Answer

#### Objectives of a water supply system (rural Nepal)
1. To supply safe, wholesome water in sufficient quantity for drinking, cooking, bathing and sanitation.
2. To reduce water-borne and water-washed diseases and improve public health.
3. To save the time and effort of women and children who walk long distances to fetch water, and so improve school attendance and income opportunities.
4. To provide water at reasonable pressure and at a convenient distance (a tap within about 100 to 150 m of each house).
5. To make water available for livestock, small kitchen gardens, schools, health posts and other public uses.
6. To supply water at the lowest cost and keep the scheme sustainable through user participation and local operation and maintenance.
7. To provide water for fire fighting where needed and to support the economic and social development of the community.

#### Schematic diagram of a rural scheme
```text
 [Source: spring/stream]
          |
 [Intake / spring box]
          |
 [Sedimentation tank]
          |  transmission main
          v
 [Storage/Reservoir tank]
          |
 [Break pressure tank] (if head high)
          |  distribution main
          v
 [Public standposts / tap stands]
```

#### Components
- **Source and intake:** a spring box or stream intake that collects and protects the water.
- **Sedimentation tank:** removes silt and sand.
- **Transmission pipe:** carries water by gravity.
- **Reservoir tank:** stores water to allow for demand variation, usually with chlorination.
- **Break pressure tank:** removes excess head in steep ground.
- **Distribution pipes and valves:** deliver water to the settlement and control the flow.
- **Public standposts / tap stands:** points of use for the community.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which is an objective of rural water supply stressed in the answer?
   A. Generating hydropower
   B. Saving time and effort of women and children who fetch water
   C. Replacing all local sources by pumping
   D. Supplying only industries
   Answer: B. Saving fetching time improves school attendance and income opportunities. (Key point: Social objective)

2. Taps should ideally be located within about:
   A. 1 km of each house
   B. 10 m of each house
   C. 500 m of each house
   D. 100 to 150 m of each house
   Answer: D. Convenient distance means a tap within about 100 to 150 m of each house. (Key point: Tap distance)

3. How is a rural scheme kept sustainable?
   A. User participation and local operation and maintenance
   B. Free supply with no local role
   C. Complete reliance on outside contractors
   D. Using only pumped sources
   Answer: A. The answer lists user participation and local O&M for sustainability at lowest cost. (Key point: Sustainability)

## Related in Water Supply Engineering

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- [Objectives of supply; wholesome water requirements](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fwater_supply_engineering%3Aobjectives-requirements-wholesome) — Water Supply Engineering, chapter 1, asked 2×
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- [Rural and urban scheme layout diagram](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fwater_supply_engineering%3Arural-urban-scheme-diagram) — Water Supply Engineering, chapter 1, asked 6×
- [Rural area 22000 L/day river supply (question text cut)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fwater_supply_engineering%3Ares-a76) — Water Supply Engineering, chapter 7

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