Hetauda, January 28:

Villagers of Churiyamai VDC in Makwanpur district are forced to walk for hours to fetch potable water, as the VDC does not have any drinking water source.

Though Churiyamai is a VDC adjoining district headquarters Hetauda, the locals are left with no option but to wander far and wide in search of drinking water.

More than 400 villagers of Chepangbasti, Driverdanda and other adjoining villages are suffering the most, as the village lacks a drinking water source, locals said.

“As there is no source of water in the nearby VDCs, the locals have to fetch water from a well in Mayudhap and from a river in adjoining Bara district,” Shukraman Chepang of Chepangbasti said, complaining that there was no one who could understand their plight.

A teacher in a local Janajagriti Secondary School said students did not attend classes regularly as most of them had to fetch water.

“Most of the students don’t come to schools during dry season as they have to go to distant places to fetch drinking water,” he added.

Though some NGOs have given earthen pots to the locals to harvest rain water, the pots are rendered useless during the dry season, locals said.

Locals walk for hours to collect water from a source near the Churiyamai temple. But the flow of water from the source is so meagre that it can’t meet the needs of all the villagers.

“The water flow from the source is also decreasing,” a local, Amrita Thapa, said, adding, “We have no alternative but to fetch water from Bara. But it is difficult to do so on foot.” Another local Rama Thapa said they could return home early from there only if they hitch-hiked.

Plight of 10 other VDCs in the district is no different. “Some NGOs had conducted a feasibility study on a drinking water supply project for all the 10 VDCs. They estimated that around Rs 50 million would be needed for the project.

The project didn’t materialise as they couldn’t arrange the amount,”

Prem Bahadur Bomjan, former chairman of Churiyamai VDC, said.

“When even the state has not been able to address the water needs of Churiyamai VDC how can some NGOs arrange such a big amount for the project?” wonders Bomjan.