ILAM: Students of local schools in the southern rim of Ilam district have been reeling under acute drinking water shortage as the dry season has set in.

Since the water sources in Chulachuli, Danabari, Mahamai, Sakphara and Bajho VDCs among others are drying up gradually, the schools in the area are also facing drinking water shortage.

While some students bring water bottles from their home, a lot of students travel to the nearest villages to quench their thirst, shared Khemraj Limbu, teacher of the Kankai Secondary School.

Limbu said that the teaching learning activities have been affected as the students who go to the nearest village for water often arrive late and the teachers have to wait longer to run the classes.

According to him, the school management provides drinking water facility, but it does not suffice to cater to all the students.

The water sources are drying up rapidly due to excessive deforestation and lack of forest conservation, informed Limbu, adding that although a drinking water project was constructed with the assistance from the Asian Development Bank in the locality some two decades ago, only 10 of the total 422 taps installed under the project are functioning currently.