Kathmandu, January 10

The Development Committee of Parliament today instructed Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, National Planning Commission, and Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation to fix a deadline for supplying clean drinking water to all citizens.

The committee issued the instruction keeping in view the government’s goal of ensuring supply of clean drinking water to all citizens across the country by the end of 2017.

The committee also urged the government to complete small urban drinking water supply projects under way in several districts on time. Similarly, the committee directed the government to offer discount to public on water supply tariff and ensure ‘one house, one tap’ at the earliest.

Stating that the government needed to set up a disaster fund for small urban drinking water supply projects to complete on time without any obstruction, it directed the government to establish a separate institution for monitoring and evaluating progress on small projects.

About 600,000 people were benefited from the first-phase implementation of small drinking water supply project that covered 29 small towns. The project was implemented with loan assistance from Asian   Development Bank.

Following successful implementation of first phase of the project, the ADB has agreed to provide grant assistance to implement the project in other 21 small towns. The project aims to ensure clean drinking water to all households.