Ramechhap, October 2 The successful construction of a drinking water project in Rampur Rural Municipality, Ramechhap, has elated locals in the rural municipality. State Minister for Home Affairs Shyam Kumar Shrestha inaugurated the project a few days ago. The elated locals had extended warm reception to Minister Shrestha and above 100 guests including lawmakers, who had reached the rural municipality for inauguration programme. Earlier, water problem had hard hit the locals in the vicinity. On the occasion locals performed dances to the Minister and top district level government officials. Shyam Magar of Rampur said water was now available in their backyards due to their hard labour. Another local Surja Bhadur Shrestha expressed immense happiness on the completion of the water project. Nepal Red Cross Society Ramechhap’s Shiv Kumar Karki noted high quality pipes used in the project. Water scarcity was severe in Rampur’s Khanidanda, Dandagaun and its adjoining areas. Quake victims had fetched water from as far as Manthali to reconstruct their houses that were destroyed by 2015 earthquakes. More than a decade long prolonged drought also had hit life very hard in the rural municipality where most water sources had gone dry. Nepal Red Cross Society Ramechhap had chipped in around 12 million for construction of the project. The water brought in from Bishauli Khola has provided drinking water to 159 families. Red Cross Ramechhap said locals had donated their labour worth Rs 2.7 million to the project. The project supplies drinking water to as many as 27 communities in the Rampur vicinity.