Dhankuta, July 27

People in Dhankuta Municipality have been experiencing the scarcity of drinking water for some time now.

A drinking water project was built at a whopping cost of Rs 260 million about five years ago with the aim of providing round-the-clock drinking water supply to people of wards 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of Dhankuta Municipality.

“The water-pumping project is based in Nibuwakhola.

Every year, flood in the river causes disruption of water supply.

As a result, we have to face water shortage for weeks,” said local Mohan Shankar Shrestha of Dhankuta.

The project, run with a loan of Rs 112 million from the Town Development Fund, has managed to repay only Rs 2.3 million in five years.

“The project generates an income of around Rs 25 million every year, but 95 per cent of the income goes to various project-related expenditure,” said Drinking Water Consumer Committee Chairperson and Dhankuta Mayor Chintan Tamang.

Meanwhile, reports have found harmful viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and the likes in the water being supplied from such projects.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 28, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.