POKHARA: Hotel entrepreneurs have urged the Nepal Water Supply Corporation, Pokhara, to address the growing drinking water shortage in Lakeside, the main tourism hub of Pokhara.
A delegation led by Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) Pokhara President Laxman Subedi met officials of the corporation, informing them about the worsening water crisis in the Lakeside area and demanding an immediate solution.
Subedi said the shortage of drinking water in one of the country’s premier tourist destinations is a serious concern.
“It is unfortunate that basic necessities such as drinking water cannot be adequately supplied in Pokhara’s main tourist area, which is widely regarded as Nepal’s tourism capital,” he said.
Bharatraj Parajuli, a central committee member of the Hotel Association Nepal and a tourism entrepreneur, expressed dissatisfaction that the expected level of service has not been delivered despite the completion of the Pokhara Drinking Water Improvement Project, which was implemented with an investment of approximately Rs 5 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“The project was designed to ensure sufficient drinking water supply for Pokhara for at least the next 20 years. However, both businesses and residents are facing hardships as taps have run dry,” Parajuli said. “Hotels are being forced to purchase water from tankers every day to continue operations. A city that serves as the country’s tourism capital must have a reliable drinking water supply.”
According to Laxman Pandey, an engineer at the corporation, the shortage persists despite water being supplied from the Mardi River under the project because the capacity of the main transmission pipeline is insufficient to meet current demand.
To address the issue, business representatives have called on Pokhara Metropolitan City and the Gandaki Province Government to allocate the necessary budget for the installation of larger-capacity transmission pipes.
The Pokhara Drinking Water Improvement Project was designed to treat and distribute 41 million liters of water per day. However, current demand in the city is estimated to exceed 80 million liters daily.
The project’s primary water source is the Mardi River, from where water is transported to the treatment plant at Purunchaur before being purified and distributed through four 20-inch-diameter transmission pipelines.
Although three reservoirs with a combined capacity of 2 million liters have been constructed under the project, water is currently being distributed only from reservoirs located in Pokhara-5 (Parsyang) and Pokhara-11 (Phulbari).
The reservoir at Pokhara-15, Kolpatan, has yet to come into operation due to technical issues.
As the drinking water shortage deepens in Lakeside, the center of Pokhara’s tourism industry, entrepreneurs have urged the concerned authorities to take immediate action, warning that the crisis could negatively affect both the tourism sector and the city’s reputation as a leading destination.
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