Drinking water problem finally solved for locals of Aapkhola

Published On: July 23, 2018 05:30 AM NPT By: Shamsher Bikram GC


PYUTHAN, July 23: With the onset of summer, people of Airawati used to face severe problems due to water scarcity until now.

Locals no longer have to worry about fetching water as water supply has reached every household in Aapkhola of Airawati Village Municipality Ward 6.

Due to uninterruptible water supply flowing through Aapkhola, locals have even begun vegetable farming alongside their houses.

“We would always face water scarcity during droughts. But with the provision of water taps in each household, there is no problem,” said Mina Gharti Magar, local of Aapkhola. She said that the locals previously used to get water from rivers and streams but as they dried out, circumstances had become critical. A local Kamala Rayamajhi said that the 24/7 water supply now has made locals extremely happy.

Gharti Magar believes that with an adequate supply of water now available, sanitation will also improve significantly throughout the village as people will be able to prioritize on cleanliness and personal hygiene, clean their toilets regularly and keep their surroundings tidy.

In the past, locals had to walk long distances just to bathe and wash their clothes. A small stream of water had been diverted from Aapkhola into the settlements but when it dried out due to prolonged droughts, locals began to face an acute shortage of water. The residents faced drinking water shortage for years until the recent developments.

Another local Parwati Thapa, 62, said, “We used to walk two hours to the nearby rivulets to fetch drinking water. But things have changed now with an endless supply of water available right at our doorsteps.”

The above plan came into implementation with the assistance from Western Nepal Rural Drinking Water and Cleanliness Project of Airawati Village Municipality. According to Water, Health and Sanitation coordinator Shridhar Bhattarai, a total of Rs 1 million was collected from donations for the project. Western Nepal donated Rs 500,000, Airawati Village Municipality donated Rs 105,231, and the rest was public donation.

Bhattarai said that the program was set to benefit ten settlements and added that the locals are extremely happy with the result. Sixty-seven-year old Keshar Bahadur Gharti, a local who faced problems because of water scarcity from a young age, said that he had never imagined that his village would have a continuous supply of water and added that his dream had come true.


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