HUMLA: Baulyana in Tanjakot Rural Municipality-1, Humla, is facing a severe drinking water shortage after a water source dried up following road construction carried out using a dozer.
According to Milan Khadka of Kandagaun, Tanjakot-1, residents of the settlement are currently forced to carry drinking water uphill from Pumkhola and Kandagaun. He said, “In Bhaisewaj village, every student goes to school each morning carrying an empty gallon. They fill it with water and bring it home after school is dismissed in the evening.”
Lokendra Khadka, a student at the local school, said that carrying water has become a greater concern than studying. “Even during afternoon classes, I keep worrying about how I will carry a gallon of water home in the evening and provide water for my family,” he said.
The settlement is located on a high hill. The problem arose after the community’s main drinking water source dried up. Ward Chairman Mohanlal Rithal said there is no alternative source from which water can be supplied to the area.
Rithal said that although the ward had allocated Rs 300,000 this year to improve drinking water facilities in Kandagaun, it was not possible to implement the project as planned. As an alternative, the ward has initiated a rainwater harvesting program. He said that 80 drums, each with a capacity of 1,000 liters, will be distributed for rainwater collection.
“However, this alone will not solve the problem, so we have sought a long-term solution from all three levels of government,” he said.
Milan Khadka said that he had approached the Federal Ministry of Drinking Water some time ago regarding the water crisis. He presented audio-visual materials highlighting the severity of the problem to the minister. According to Khadka, the minister assured him that arrangements would be made to address the issue at any cost.
Khadka said that he personally spent Rs 50,000 to travel to the federal capital and raise the matter with concerned authorities.
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