Laxmi Gautam

Phidim, June 3:

Phidim bazaar is facing a scarcity of water after the sources at Namdu, Barmeli, Kattike and Sinhanekhop dried due to a long spell of drought in the region. These sources used to feed water to a reserve tank. Water thus collected used to be supplied to the households through 780 taps. According to a junior officer at the Nepal Water Supply Corporation district office, these sources used to account for 65,000 litres of water, which used to be supplied to the households twice daily. These days, 50,000 litres of water is collected in the reservoir every day. A drinking water project run by the Chamber of Commerce (Phidim) has also been unable to address the water crisis. A housewife of Phidim 1, Rita Timalsina, said,

“Housewives in Phidim walk for miles in searing heat to fetch water from natural springs.”

Kedar Thapa, a hotelier, said the drought has hit hoteliers hard. People have to go to the Hewa River, an hour-long journey from the town, to take a bath. Crops have started smouldering due to the drought. The drinking water consumer committee has been trying to identify an alternate source of water. It plans to request the government and foreign donors for help once the source is identified.