Bhairahawa, July 23 The operation of Karahiya Makraihiya Small Town Drinking Water and Sanitation Project has benefited thousands of Rupandehi locals. Earlier, the local residents had to go through a great hassle to procure drinking water. Shanta Bhattarai of Tilottama municipality-11, Karaiya, said life had become easier for her as he does not have to get up early in the morning and make a long haul for water these days. “Earlier I had to fight for a pitcher full of water. Thank god those days are over,” she said. Around 1,800 households in Karaiya are benefited after the construction of the water project. The project was constructed with financial support from Asian Development Bank at the cost of around Rs 100 million about a year ago. Chairperson of the water project’s consumers’ committee, Satrughan Poudel, expressed his joy at the completion of the project. “Karaiya residents have suffered a lot due to the lack of water for about six years after the local tube wells went dry,” he said. Each household is paying Rs 500 every month for the water that is supplied from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.