Sankhuwasabha,February 9:

Khandbari, the district headquarters of Sankhuwasabha, is facing acute shortage of drinking water for the last two months. Reliable sources of water are yet to be searched despite the persistent problem.

Civil society leader Bhola Man Shrestha said there was a lack of potable water in the district headquarters, as Khandbari Municipality, the body responsible for supplying water in the town, was not serious about solving the problem.

Since the sub-division office of Drinking Water Corporation stopped supplying water to

the town a decade ago, the municipality has taken over the responsibility.

Hotels, district prison, district hospital and government offices have been affected due to the lack of water. Locals are compelled to go to neighbouring villages to fetch water.

Dr Rudra Prasad Marasini, acting chief, District Public Health Office, said hospital staffers as well as the patients were suffering from the lack of water. “We have not been able to manage alternative sources of water,” he said.

Milan Shrestha, a hotelier, said, “We won’t be able to run hotels if the situation persists.” The water scarcity has directly affected 10,000 locals.

A municipal official said the scarcity was caused by the drying up of the source at Mahabhir. “As an immediate solution, we will collect water at the Amar Dal Battalion in Khandbari and distribute it in the town,” he said.