The Asian Development Bank has announced an $80 million loan to Nepal for piped water distribution improvement. ADB says the improvements will benefit nearly 3 million people in the Kathmandu Valley.

Manoj Sharma, of ADB's South Asia Department, says the project will prioritize “underserved areas and poor sections” of the population.

The Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Improvement Project is designed to deliver a better quality of water for more hours and at a higher pressure, reducing water losses in the distribution system.

ADB says the region's water supply will more than double the current available supply when the project is finished. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

Sharma says piped water through individual connections will especially impact the lives of women, relieving them of “the drudgery of collecting water, giving them more time for social and economically productive activities.”