Kanchanpur, Dec. 10 -- year-old Kanti Das of Radhakrishna Tole in Bhimdutta Municipality, life has taken a turn she once believed impossible. Since October, each morning now begins with a simple pleasure: twisting the tap outside her home and watching clear, treated water gush out.

For someone who has spent four decades in this village in farwestern Nepal, the past few weeks feel nothing short of miraculous. She can bathe when she wishes, wash clothes without setting aside an entire day, feed her cattle with ease, and drink without fear.

Das still remembers the years when water dictated every hour of her life. "Until two decades ago, there was no water in our village," she says, recalling the exhausting routine of walking nearly four ho...