Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, June 21:

The locals of Naradevi area in Kathmandu have finally decided to collect a certain sum of money to process ground water to do away with acute shortage of potable water they have been facing for the last three months. “The well of the area has gone dry; therefore, we are compelled to visit our relatives’ houses to fetch a bucket of water,” said Sunita Maharjan.

“I used to visit Kilagal, a 15 minutes’ walking distance, everyday,” she said adding that physical and mental stress has hampered her daily work. Another housewife of Pachhein Galli in Ward No 26 said her tap has not seen a single drop of water for the last three months. She said water shortage has affected Damain Tole, Tammo Galli, Sunta Galli among others. She goes to Makhan Mahadev where she needs to wait for hours to fill a bucket. Spokesperson for the Nepal Drinking Water Supply Corporation, Dr Chandeswor Shah, said water shortage has affected many Valley folks.

Manoj Khadka of Koteshwor said he has to depend on Dhungedharas (stone water spouts) for water as taps have gone dry since long. “Most of the people here buy water for daily use,” he said. Dil Bahadur Gurung of Samakhushi said he got his turn to fill his bucket at Kapurdhara after 12 hours of wait. “Most of the people living in Samakhushi depend on Kapurdhara for the water during summer,” he said. Even Bhaktapur is not free from the problem, as traditional wells have gone dry due to the extended draught. Ambica Dhoubadel, administrative head of the Bhaktapur municipality, said there is shortage of potable water in the city area. The locals have bought and managed water pumps and tanks to do away with the acute shortage of potable water. In Lalitpur, most of the stone water spouts have gone dry because of population density and pollution.