Valley dwellers have been rushing to buy water purifiers alarmed by a rise in cases of water-borne diseases. The increase in sales and demand has prompted traders to launch a wide range of water purifiers in the domestic market.

Kent, Euroguard, Livpure and Hi-Tech are some of the brands that have a strong presence in the Nepali market. Several Chinese brands are also available for customers preferring lower priced products.

The market offers both the reverse osmosis RO-based and ultraviolet U-based water purifiers. According to traders, around 60 percent of their total sales happen during the summer season, when there is a higher chance of dirty water mixing with the mains supply.

The market for water purifiers is estimated to be worth Rs175 million and growing at the rate of 25 percent annually.

Ashish Tibrewala, director of Navin Distributors, the authorised distributor of Kent water purifiers in Nepal, said that people were gradually turning to water purifiers from traditional water filters for protection from water-borne diseases.

“We are witnessing a continuous surge in the number of people looking for water purifiers,” he said, adding that sales usually double in the summer and monsoon seasons as there are higher chances of piped water becoming contaminated during the rains.

The company said it had recorded a 30 percent growth in the segment. The company offers 12 models of water purifiers for home use priced between Rs5,000 and Rs32,500. Prices of commercial water purifiers range from Rs55,500 to Rs88,500.

Navin Distributors has been organising various promotional events to spread awareness about the need to purify water in various parts of the valley. “Although sales have been gradually increasing in large cities, people in rural areas are still not aware of using water purifying systems,” added Tibrewala.

Green Suppliers, seller of four brands of water purifiers, namely Euroguard, Kent RO, Hitech and Livpure, has also reported a growth in sales.

“We have been selling around 32-35 water purifiers monthly, against five to seven units two months ago,” said Atik Salmani, proprietor of the company.

He added that touchscreen water purifiers were the new trend among tech-savvy kitchen owners. The company recently launched new models of Livpure water purifier with a storage capacity of 11 litres. Prices of Livpure water purifiers start at Rs5,000.

The company offers seven models of Hi-Tech water purifiers that cost from Rs14,500 to Rs135,000. “Growing concerns about water-borne diseases have fuelled demand for water purifiers, and we are the first company dealing reputed multinational brands of water purifiers,” added Salmani.