Himalayan News service

Kathmandu, June 23:

In spite of showers in Kathmandu and adjoining areas, the level of water in the reservoirs of Kathmandu is likely to take some more days to rise. The rain in Kathmandu and its periphery has not been sufficient to saturate the soil. It has increased the discharge of streams by about only 30 per cent. The reservoir at Bansbari of Kathmandu is fed by the perennial stream of Shivapuri and the recovery in flow of streams is only about 30 per cent, said Dharma Kumar Bajimaya, general manager at the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC). Another source of water for Bansbari reservoir are tubewells but the ageing wells are losing their efficacy For the Sainbu water reservoir, the major source is Pharping. But till June 29, the water coming from Pharping is to be used for irrigation of peripheral areas. This means, residents of Patan will have to suffer water shortage for a few more days.

The declining rate of discharge from sources at Bode in Bhaktapur is another problem. The level of water at the reservoir in Minbhawan that supplies the surrounding areas is at a drastic, with hardly any water being supplied. Currently, the NWSC is using tankers to supply water in Kalimati, Tahachal, Bafal, Baneshwor and some areas of Patan. Looking at the meagre rise in water level in the reservoirs, the corporation will be continuing water supply by tankers. Meanwhile, the much-awaited monsoon has broken in the eastern part of the country, 107 mm of rainfall in Biratnagar yesteday. And te western part of the country has also witnessed a small amount of precipitation. “The monsoon trough has been expanding over the Terai belt and the Indian plains, which proves that the monsoon has arrived,” said Mani Ratna Shakya, senior meteorologist at Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.