KATHMANDU: Following the government’s declaration of Madhesh as a drought-affected region, international aid agencies under the umbrella of the Association of International NGOs (AIN) have ramped up emergency relief efforts in coordination with the provincial government and local bodies.
After Madhesh Province Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh urged for immediate interventions in drinking water and irrigation, several INGOs have mobilized resources and begun distributing essential water supplies across drought-hit areas.
According to AIN Madhesh contact officer Pramil Adhikari, international organizations are actively collaborating with local partners, municipalities, and district disaster management committees to address the crisis. “Our response is being coordinated with local governments through the WASH cluster mechanism,” Adhikari said.
So far, Save the Children Nepal has distributed 10,000 liters of drinking water to 534 households in Ishwarpur Municipality–10 of Sarlahi district. Similarly, Oxfam has supplied hand tubewells and drinking water to 400 households in Chandranigahapur of Rautahat and various wards of Haripur, Hariwan, and Malangwa in Sarlahi.
Plan International Nepal has delivered water jars to 1,000 households in Sabaila Municipality of Dhanusha. World Vision International Nepal has supported small-scale irrigation initiatives in Mahottari’s Ekdara and Samsi rural municipalities (benefitting 55 and 314 households respectively), and Sarlahi’s Haripurwa (93 households) and Rautahat’s Madhav Narayan (42 households).
Islamic Relief has begun deep boring operations to supply drinking water to 1,000 households in Rajpur and Chapur of Rautahat, and 50 households in Mahagadhimai and Suwarna of Bara district. WaterAid has installed tube wells and pipelines in 300 Dalit households in Lahan Municipality of Siraha.
SNV has been supporting research and assessments on the broader water supply situation in the province, with deep boring studies underway in five municipalities of Dhanusha and Mahottari.
Other INGOs like People in Need, ActionAid, Good Neighbors, and UMN are also in coordination with local governments for relief planning. Meanwhile, the UK-funded Start Fund Nepal program has been launched in partnership with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
This targeted response is being implemented in 10 municipalities across Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Siraha, and Saptari—including Birgunj, Bahudarmai, Simraungadh, Paroha, Kabilasi, Lakshmipatari, Rupani, Tilathi Koiladi, and Hanumannagar. The project will run for 60 days and is expected to benefit over 8,355 households—or more than 44,000 individuals—with a total allocated budget of Rs 26 million.
In addition, the World Food Programme has initiated the distribution of shallow tubewells, pump sets, and motor pipes in Madhav Narayan of Rautahat and two municipalities of Saptari: Hanumannagar and Tilathi Koiladi.
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