The total demand of drinking water is 42.5 million liters daily but the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) can cater only 21-.5 million liters. The local branch of NWSC says that new settlements established in the last 810 years are worst hit by the problem and receive water only once for 23 hours in a week or two.
“The newer settlements in ward number 1-0, 1-3, 1-5, 16 and 17 have severe crisis and supply in some of these places is almost nil,” admits chief of the Pokhara branch of NWSC Uddhav Prasad Upadhyaya. After growing frustration of the locals over lack of water, NWSC has stopped adding new lines to the existing 27,000, significantly few in a city with 57,305 houses, since March 1-4.
The locals are furious with NWSC which has not been able to supply water sufficient even for drinking purpose. “It never comes,” said 78-year-old Chandra Maya Gurung from Birouta, Pokhara 16 who never heard of water scarcity while growing up.
Not even the older places are immune to the problem and the residents of Nadipur recently padlocked the NWSC office after being starved of water for 14 days. “We receive water for only 34 months in a year and have to buy from tankers even for drinking purpose in the rest of the months,” complains Jeevan Gurung of Nadipur.
The rich buy water from tankers that charge around 600800 for 4,500 liters while the poor lot are forced to drink contaminated water of Seti river and canals. Every year a few lose their lives while washing dishes and clothes in the banks of Phewa lake, Seti river and canals.
An engineer with NWSC says that the locals are paying for the lack of planning and efficient leadership of NWSC which did not start any new project for expansion of water supply for the last 20 years that saw 400% increment in population.
Manoj Adhikari
But all that is set to change as the government is initiating a big project from this month to bring water from Mardi river within one year. The 1-76.7 million mega project will bring water into the city through an 1-1-km pipeline of 20 inches.
But there was controversy on the very first day of construction as people of Mardi village put forward a sevenpoint demand that includes blacktopping of the present gravel road to Mardi and investment of at least 20% of revenue from the project in the village among others.
They submiited their demand to the Minister for Physical Planning and Construction Bijay Kumar Gachhadar who had reached to lay foundation stone of the project. Gachhadar directed NWSC chief to fulfil their demands but the locals made the chief sign a written commitment in front of the minister.
The thirsty Pokharelis can do without further controversy in the project.
