"Most customers refuse do drink tap water as they say the water is undrinkable," said Kunwar. He said that his business has gone down by 60 percent in the last three days after the water entrepreneurs launched their indefinite strike. "If the water supply is not resumed immediately I might have to shut down the shop," said Kunwar. He has to earn at least Rs 3,000 per day to be able to pay the rent and salaries to his staff at the end of the month.
Like Kunwar, most of the hotels and restaurants in the capital are struggling to run their businesses following the indefinite strike launched by the joint struggle committee of water entrepreneurs. Due to acute shortage of the drinking water, some have already shut down their business. Even business enterprises, banks government offices, hospitals rely on bottled water, which they consider safe compare to the water supplied by the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL). Such institutions have been hit hard by the strike.
Due to the shortfall in the supply of KUKL water, hospitals and hotels have been relying on commercial water suppliers. Bir Hospital, the country´s largest referral center, said that it has also been affected by the crisis.
Baburam Pokhrel, chairman of the Private and Boarding School´s Organization, Nepal (PABSON), said that several schools in the capital have been complaining about the scarcity of water and urging the organization to take initiation to resume water supply. "If the entrepreneurs do not resume supply by Sunday, we´ll have to close the schools," said Pokhrel. He said that schools that operate hostels have been worst affected by the ongoing water strike. "Hostels will have to send students back to their home if the entrepreneurs do not resume supply by Sunday evening," Pokhrel added.
Officials at KUKL concede that thousands of consumers in the Valley dependent on tankers and bottled water for drinking and other household chores have been suffering due to the ongoing strike. Over 200 processed water companies and 700 tankers have been supplying water to the consumers. The entrepreneurs claim that they have been supplying over 1, 50,000 jars of water daily during dry season and about 100,000 jars in the monsoon.
Compromise in quality cannot be tolerated: DFTQC
The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) said that the office cannot let the water bottling companies to compromise on the quality of water no matter how long they continue their strike.
Officials at DFTQC say the water suppliers are resorting to strike as they are against the recent action taken by the department.
The office recently filed cases against 25 water bottling companies in the capital that were found to have flagrantly compromising on the quality of water. "We will not allow them to compromise on the quality. If they resume operations, we will again conduct monitoring to ensure that they meet the standards," said Jiwan Prava Lama, the director general of DFTQC. The department is responsible for ensuring the quality food items in the country.
According to Lama, the quality of most of the so-called purified drinking water was found to be substandard. "Most of the samples collected by our inspectors from the market failed to meet quality standards," added Lama. The office had conducted physical, biological, and chemical tests on the water samples. The department has its own advanced laboratory, and food scientists to study the quality of food items.
"We have made it clear that quality cannot be compromised under any pretext," said Pramod Koirala, spokesperson of the DFTQC.
He said that coliform bacteria were found in most of the samples tested. As per the government standards, presence of even a single colony forming unit of coliform in 100 ml of water is unacceptable. But some of the processed water selling in the market contained high degree of coliform.
Likewise, chemicals like iron and ammonia were found to be at hazardous level in some of the samples. Water processing companies use either the water supplied by tankers or extract water from ground water. "If not processed properly, such water will damage public health," added Koirala.
"The companies will have to face legal actions if they fail to meet the standards set by the government," added Koirala. Water processing companies have been flourishing in the capital in the recent years. Over 300 water processing companies have been registered in the capital. The DFTQC said that some of the companies have been operating without registration. Some even fill water in the bottles of other companies and some have been doing so at their homes. DG Lama said that the DFTQC has prepared separate guidelines to regulate the companies that sell processed water.
Water companies to resume supply
KATHMANDU, June 30: After the government agreed to form a committee to look into their rightful demands, agitating water entrepreneurs resumed supply of water from Sunday evening. The dialogue between water suppliers and Minister for Urban Development Chhabi Raj Panta and Urban Development Secratary Kishor Thapa, held on Sunday afternoon ended on a positive note.
Accusing the government of not being serious about their problems, water suppliers had launched an indefinite strike from Friday. They have also forwarded 20 points demands to the concerned authorities.
The 20-point demands include proper management of the drinking water industry, formulation of a policy for effective regulation of tankers, implementation of a single tax rate mechanism and others.
"The entrepreneurs have agreed to settle the problem through dialogue and called off the strike," Yogendra Bom, spokesperson of the Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB), said, adding, "They have also committed not to call such kind of strike in the future." He said that the government has also agreed to form directives, demanded by the entrepreneurs.
The committee comprises Valley Drinking Source and Tanker Entrepreneur Association, Nepal Bottle Water Industries Association, Valley Drinking water Tanker and Boring Entrepreneurs Association, All Nepal transport Workers Association and independent drinking water supply firms.
Take strong action against strikers: Public
Krishna Thapa, Naya Naikap
It is disgusting that one or the other group is demanding that they should be allowed cheat and carry on with their wrongdoing. Earlier, the gold traders, and now the water suppliers. I am sure there will be more of such groups all set to announce such strikes in future. It is just because the government is not strict at all. In fact, it seems we do not have a government in this country. How could anyone even think of depriving the people of essential thing like water? Can you live without water, can I live without water? Let the leaders live without water for a single day. Let their facilities be cut down. I buy around 1 big tank of water in every 3 months. There is little water left in my reserve tank and I am worried. We live in a city where water is so scarce. Let alone supplying clean water to the people, the government cannot even regulate the private sector. Disgusting!
Bini Thapa, Chabahil
We buy only bottled water. But if the strike goes on, I fear, we will not be able to get that. I do not understand why this is happening. But it is wrong to deprive people of water. Just imagine life without water. It is impossible. I feel both the government and the people are equally responsible for such things happening in our society. So what if the government does not pay heed to our voice, why can´t the people themselves come out and speak against the wrongs? We are habitual to tolerate everything. The protestors should be booked for what they are doing. Such kinds of things should not happen.
Though at present my family is not facing crisis, but there are many families who are already forced to think of altering their menus just because they lack water. It is pathetic.
Rupesh Joshi, Kalanki
The government tap supplies us water just once a week and that, too, for just one hour. We do have a well but still we cannot do without buying water provided by the tankers. We also utilize rain water during the rainy season. Actually it is just due to the rain water harvesting we have been able to ward off water scarcity. Or else, it would be really difficult as the water we bought last time is almost finished. It seems nobody is in anyone´s control. The government always fails to take action in time. It wakes up only after much harm is done. No wonder, the strike of water suppliers have quite annoyed the public.
Related story
Beat the summer heat
