The
Dharan Drinking Water Campaign led by Harka Sampang Rai, the mayor of
Water from the
stream that empties into the
An
intake has been constructed in the stream at Bishnupaduka area which lies at
ward 20 of the sub-metropolis. Water from the stream arrived in Dharan on
Monday midnight through a five-inch plastic pipeline.
“The arduous
efforts of the local people and wellwishers have paid off. We are finally
successful in bringing water from the Kokaha stream. The pipeline is in the
testing phase. The project will supply water that will be enough for about
30,000 people in Dharan,” said Rai, who was busy in the field for the past
three days to complete the drinking water supply project.
According to
Rai, the water supplied from the Kokaha stream will be distributed through the
water supply system of the Dharan drinking water management board. The plan is
to store water in two tanks at Sumnima Chowk and Swastika Chowk and distribute
it to the locals of ward 16, 17 and 18, according to Rai.
Dharan is
reeling under an acute shortage of
drinking water for the past few years. Although the supply from
the Kokaha stream has come as a huge relief for the locals, some people are
questioning the sustainability of the project. The plastic pipes have been laid
on the ground temporarily which exposes the supply line to the oncoming monsoon
rains. The water pipes are hanging over cliffs and hills on their way from the
stream towards the sub-metropolis.
Rai
claims that engineers and other technicians have carried out field surveys and
installed the pipes, but an authorised body is yet to endorse the project.
Neither the Dharan
Sub-Metropolitan
“I
wholeheartedly praise Harka Rai’s drinking water campaign. But he should
prioritise repairing and regulating existing deep tube wells to supply water in
the dry season. He should not waste time and energy on small and short-term
projects and rather focus on long-term water supply projects,” said Manoj Kumar
Dharan
Sub-Metropolis has been questioned for not properly utilising five tube wells
constructed in the Charkoshe forest area to lift the underground water. “We
recently inspected the deep tube wells that have the capacity of supplying
around eight million litres daily. The municipality left them unused stating
that underground water dried up. Our study shows that Dharan is facing an acute
water problem because successive governments have ignored those tube wells,”
said Mahesh Shrestha, chief of Newar Ekata Samaj in Dharan.
The water
scarcity, coupled with scorching heat and heat waves, has made Dharan locals
miserable. They are compelled to buy water from private water tankers.
According to Jayanya Gautam, a private water supplier, big water tanks charge
60 paisa [1 rupee is 100 paisa] per litre while small tankers charge up to Re1
per litre.
Citing acute
water shortage, the Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences closed all classes for
a week starting June 6. The institute said it did not have enough water to
supply to the hospital and its college buildings.
Rai won the
mayoral seat in Dharan as an independent candidate in the local level election
held in May last year. Rai had promised to solve the drinking water crisis in
Dharan and had prioritised proper maintenance of the existing drinking water
supply lines and bringing new water projects to solve both organic and
artificial water problems in the sub-metropolis.
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