ILAM: Ilam district headquarters has been facing an acute shortage of drinking water owing to loss caused by leakages in distribution pipelines.

The Gitang drinking water project, that supplies water in the area had already been bearing the brunt of drop in water supply caused by prolonged drought too. The leakages have caused no supply in some areas.

According to Ilam Municipality Office, denizens of the district headquarters have been suffering from scarcity of water because of a sharp fall in the water level in Bhandikhola, the source for the project.

Lokendra Shrestha, a local said that water is being supplied once every two days. Though the consumers in the headquarters have been demanding for the maintenance and repair of the distribution system Municipality has shown reluctance citing lack of budget.

Indifference of the authorities has compelled the locals to fetch water from far off places.

The students and employees who live in the areas as tenants are the worst hit. Water scarcity has equally affected the building construction works too.

However, the municipality authority that looks after the issue maintained that repairs and maintenance of pipelines was going on.

The authority further claimed that after the completion of repairing works, water can be supplied once in a day.