Nepalgunj, May 28
Water hand pumps of Nepalgunj has started going dry due to long spell of dry hot weather that shot up the temperature.
Dozens of hand pumps had dried up within a week. The people of Nepalgunj started facing shortage of drinking water owing to drying up of water sources. The local people are now depending on water supplied by Drinking Water Corporation (DWC).
"We are depending on our neighbourhood to get single drop of water for past four days", said Meraj Ahamad, a local and added "we have not bathed for last four days after our hand pumps dried up".
The population of Nepalgunj is above 3, 00,000 but only 4300 lucky people are enjoying water supply facilities from Drinking Water Corporation.
According to Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office (DWSDO) of Nepalgunj, more than 1,100 hand pumps were set up here. Many people set up hand pumps at their homes when they found DWC distributing dirty water at their home.
Moreover, due to the dirty water many people were affected by cholera last year. Ram Chandra Bhattarai, Chief of DWSDO, informed that due to the searing temperature the water level started drying up. Water could not come out from the taps and water level is unlikely to increase till the arrival of heavy rainfalls in the area, he added
Nepalgunj is known as the hottest town in the nation. Air Water Field Office informed that the temperature of Nepalgunj reaches upto 45 degree in the summer time. Going by the high summer and long dry spell, the town is likely to break all its past records in terms of recording temperature this year.
Consumers committee has been formed for proposed Dikhu Deep Boring project for utilizing alternative source of drinking water in Kirtipur area.
The committee was constituted with the participation of locals after possibility of reducing water shortage was seen from deep boring in Dikhu area at Kirtipur-2 as Kirtipur faces acute shortage of drinking water.
The committee chaired by Rajendra Manandhar has Gyan Ratna Maharjan as Secretary, Treasurer is Babita Maharjan and the members are Manbabu Maharjan, Surendra Maharjan and Som Prasad Manandhar.
Some 4.5 liters of water per second will be possible from the Rs. 6 million project as per survey report on deep boring.
