Lalitpur, April 26:

At the initiative of locals in four village development committees of Lalitpur and one of Bhaktapur, the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office of Lalitpur has started renovation and expansion of a two-decade-old drinking water supply project.

The project is expected to cater to over 21,000 people of the five VDCs.

The office began the expansion and renovation of the Chapakharka Drinking Water Supply Project that was constructed in 1983 and had become non-functional for years.

The expansion and renovation is expected to cost Rs 30.7 million.

Hari Govinda Shrestha, president of the project’s consumers’ committee, said, “The work remained unfinished due to the lack of sufficient funds.”

Shrestha said the committee began renovation work in August 2005 with the budget provided by the government.

Maintenance and and re-estimation was carried out by an 11-member committee in the first phase.

“The government provided Rs 2 million in the current fiscal year, and we are planning to complete the second and third phase of the project, which includes formation of committees at different levels for the management of the project,” Shrestha said.

The project supplies drinking water to the five village development committees through 118 taps.

Two wards of Bishankhu Narayan, two of Lamatar, six of Tikathali and all wards of Lubu VDC in Lalitpur and four wards of Sirutar VDC of Bhaktapur district will benefit from the expansion and renovation.

Each tap supplies water to an average of 45 households. Each household is charged Rs 10 per month for the service. The amount thus collected is utilised to meet maintenance costs.

“In the fourth phase, we will construct an extra reservoir at the source so that water can be supplied to more households,” Shrestha said.