Lahan: Citizens of Lahan municipality-24, who had been facing an acute shortage of drinking water, have now started receiving drinking water from storage tanks. In Lahan, particularly in the northern settlements, shallow tube wells, the main and most reliable sources of drinking water, have dried up due to a prolonged drought.
According to National News Agency Nepal, with joint support from the Wicken Project and WaterAid, arrangements have been made to supply water to the locals from a 2,000-liter capacity tank transported by a water tanker vehicle. Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary stated that the municipality has planned to distribute four liters of drinking water per person daily, free of cost, for the next three months and mentioned that the program will be extended if needed.
The settlement is home to around 60 families, who now fetch water using buckets and other vessels. The Wicken Project has already allocated Rs two million to implement the program in coordination with Lahan Municipality and the Water Supply Office. Local resident Purna Bahadur Sarki expressed relief at receiving drinking water in the locality, emphasizing the critical importance of water for both personal and livestock needs.
Other areas, including Lahan municipality wards 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18, have also been severely affected by the water shortage. The local government has plans to reach out to these areas with drinking water supplies as well. The drought has led to the depletion and drying up of water sources such as wells, ponds, hand tube wells, and irrigation systems.
Jagabir Yadav of Lahan-13 shared that this is the worst drought he has experienced in six decades, noting that prominent water bodies like the Salahesh Garden Pond and the Saraswoti Stream have also dried up. Environment expert Dinesh Yadav stressed the urgency of preserving the Chure region in the Tarai/Madhesh as a sustainable solution to the region’s ongoing water crisis.