RAJBIRAJ: Supply of drinking water has been cut off for about three months in Birendra Bazar of Rupani Rural Municipality-2 in Saptari district.

At least 200 households in the Bazar are deprived of drinking water with the discontinuation of water supply.

The water supply came to full stop after the pipelines passing water from Churephedi to Birendra Bazar were swept away by the floods following the incessant rain on July 1. Churephedi is at the distance of 3 kilometres in the north of the Bazar.

They are unable to get drinking water since the concerned bodies failed to install pipelines after the floods swept the old ones, local Brijman Tamang said.

Consumers complained that they were deprived of drinking water despite paying Rs 1,500 deposit and Rs 100 monthly bill.

Further, locals accused the Drinking Water Consumers' Committee of installing the infrastructure improperly and also distributing more taps above the marginal capacity. They said the supply of water was often disrupted as the pipelines buried just 6 inches underneath broke from time to time due to vehicular movement and minor floods. The committee chair Gopal Singh Thapa was accused of conducting irregularities in the amount received from the consumers.

The chief of District Water Supply and Sanitation Division, Saptari, Lokendra Prasad Yadav said that the consumers' committee should audit its financial accounts and publicise.

The repairing of the drinking water supply was underway as a sum of budget has been allocated for repairing the pipelines, Yadav informed.