Panchthar, March 22

Residents of Panchthar headquarters Phidim are reeling under acute shortage of drinking water for the past one week.

Locals in Phidim are facing water woes after Drinking Water Division Office and Phidim Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumers’ Committee stopped supplying water saying that the water pipes had burst.

Local consumers in Ward No 1, 2 and 4 of Phidim Municipality have been badly affected due to lack water supply. People in market places are worse hit than in rural areas.

With water supply disrupted, locals have started queuing at the public taps for water. With the onset of dry season, people are facing a hard time managing water for livestock, washing and drinking, said a local Smita Tumbapo.

The consumers’ committee had said the water pipes would be repaired by Friday and water supply would resume soon after the repair.

Committee Chair Gajadhar Bhattarai said water supply could not be resumed as landslide had swept away supply pipes. “We have deployed as many as 20 workers to repair the pipes, but we cannot exactly say when water supply will resume,” Bhattarai added.